Authorities prevent opposition newspaper from working

Being under authorities' pressure, the owner of the flat that the office of the Baki Khabar newspaper is situated in is demanding to vacate it.

Aydin Guliyev, newspaper editor, told it to the Caucasian Knot correspondent. In his words, the editorial staff rented flats 7 and 8, 27 Istiglaliyat Street for the period of one year. But the authorities put pressure on the owner of the flats and threatened him to fire his relatives if he did not throw the editors out in the street.

Aydin Guliyev said that because of it, he had to vacate the premises on August 11-12. According to Mr Guliyev, such a situation has already taken place twice. The authorities found the owners of rented rooms, put pressure on them, and achieved the eviction of the editors.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Interior Minister Ramil Usubov has condemned violence against journalists today giving his attitude towards the attacks against the Baki Khabar editor-in-chief, Aydin Guliyev, and Eynulla Fatullayev, a reporter for the Monitor weekly. Mr Usubov promised to investigate these cases and take measures to prevent such cases in future. At the same time, Mr Usubov called on journalists to refrain from libel and insults, which may incite some people to illegal actions against authors of the publications.