17:29, 26 October 2017

Afghan Mukhtarly granted Pavel Sheremet Award

Afghan Mukhtarly (centre). Screenshot, video by the Caucasian Knot.

In Estonia, the Pavel Sheremet Award granted to Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly was handed over to his wife Leyla Mustafaeva.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 29, Afghan Mukhtarly, who lived in Georgia since 2014, disappeared in Tbilisi. On the other day, he informed his advocate that he had been brought to Baku by force. On May 31, in Baku, the court pronounced the decision to arrest Afghan Mukhtarly. The journalist rejects all charges filed against him, including violation of the state border, smuggling and rendering resistance to a border guard. On October 23, the court left Afghan Mukhtarly in custody.

"Afghan Mukhtarly was aware that he had won the Pavel Sheremet Award and he prepared a greeting to participants of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF). However, advocate Elchin Sadirov was searched and the document was seized," Leyla Mustafaeva has told today the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent after the awards ceremony in Tallinn.

The Pavel Sheremet Journalism Award is granted to media representatives from the Eastern Partnership countries for courage and devotion to journalistic standards, the "Khartyya'97" reports.

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

Author: Galina Gotua

Source: CK correspondent