Azerbaijani reporter claims being persecuted for criticizing head of state-owned company

A case against Noureddin Ismayilov, the editor-in-chief of the website "Teref.az", charged with calls against the state after reprinting articles criticizing top managers of the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "AzerEnergy", was transferred to the Baku court. The journalist treats the charge against him as unfounded.

Noureddin Ismayilov was accused of open calls against the state, abuse of office, and forgery.

"I am persecuted for criticizing the former top managers of the OJSC 'AzerEnergy', including because of the blackout in last July after an accident at the thermal power plant (TPP) ... There are no anti-state calls in the publications. There is criticism that an official is engaged in business, although the law prohibits that. And the second article criticizes the activities of the 'AzerEnergy', " says Noureddin Ismayilov.

According to the Law "On Mass Media", the edition should not be responsible for reprinting articles, the journalist notes.

The Azerbaijani Law "On Mass Media" states that in case if a text is reprinted from other media and is not refuted, then no responsibility will be provided for its reprinting, explains media expert Alesker Mamedli.