11:17, 7 August 2015

Police detain journalist Orkhan Rustamzade in Baku

In Baku, policemen have detained a journalist Orkhan Rustamzade and brought him to the Nasimi District Police Office. According to eyewitnesses, he was filming at the courthouse, where the trial of journalist Khadija Ismayilova is on.

Ismayilova is accused of bringing to a suicide attempts her former colleague Tural Mustafaev, who has publicly confessed that he had slandered Khadija. This case is combined with that of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship and abuse of power. Ismayilova faces up to 12 years in prison.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today the Baku Court of Grave Crimes holds a session on the case of Khadija Ismayilova, where no relatives, civil society activists and reporters were admitted.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, in total, the police have detained three journalists, who were at the courthouse – a freelancer Orkhan Rustamzade; Shirin Abbasov, a reported of the online television "MeydanTV"; and a freelance journalist Revan Seifullaev. However, half an hour later, Abbasov and Seifullaev were released.

According to Seifullaev, Rustamzade was detained, when he tried from the roof of the house adjacent to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes to film the yard of the courtroom at that moment, when Khadija Ismayilova was taken out of the paddy.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent