International organizations condemn the attack on journalist in Azerbaijan

The OSCE Baky office has resolutely condemned the "brutal attack" on Bakhaddin Khaziev, the chief editor of the opposition newspaper "Bizim Yol" ("Our way") and deputy chairman of the Party of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA).

"Despite the declaration by Azerbaijan authorities of freedom and independence of press, journalists still face violence and offences," stated ambassador Mauricio Pavesi, head of the OSCE Baku office. In the opinion of Pavesi, the current situation "has further aggravated since the victim is not only an outstanding journalist but also a well-known representative an opposition party." Having stressed the concern of the OSCE Baku office in connection with the lack of concrete results of the investigation of similar incidents, Pavesi added: "We call on the competent agencies to promptly start a transparent and grounded investigation of this incident and bring the persons who are guilty of the attack on the journalist to responsibility." The Baku office is going to closely monitor the progress of the investigation of the case. The International Institute of Freedom and Safety of Reporters (IIFSR) has also condemned another recurrent fact of violence with regard to the Azeri journalist and demands that the authorities of Azerbaijan should immediately find the criminals and punish them for their crime. The Institute states that, during the last two months, kidnapping and beating of journalists in Azerbaijan has acquired the character of a tendency.

For instance, on March 6, 2006, a murderous assault was committed on Fikret Gusseinli, employee of the opposition newspaper "Azadlyg." Similar to Khaziev, he was kidnapped at night, was beaten and stubbed with knife. After that, having assumed that he was dead, the criminals chucked him in the city outskirts. On May 3 of this year, on World Day of Freedom of Press, Rustam Mikailly, sports reporter of the "Zerkalo" newspaper, was brutally beaten by policemen while acting in the line of his duty. None of these cases has been investigated to the end, the guilty parties have not been punished. The IIFSR calls on international and local journalist and human rights organizations to condemn the situation with the freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, aggravating with every coming day, and call on the country's leadership to find and punish the criminals and to stop persecution of journalists in the country. The IIFSR reminds once more that, as of today, the authorities of Azerbaijan have failed to find and punish the clients and the executors of the murder of Elmar Guseinov, chief editor of the opposition magazine "Monitor," who was killed on the threshold of his house on March 2, 2005. Numerous facts of brutal beatings of journalists by police on the eve of 2003 presidential election and the 2005 parliamentary election in Azerbaijan have not been properly investigated, runs the document.

For reference, Bakhaddin Khaziev was beaten on Friday night, May 18. Now he is in the reanimation department. The "Our way" newspaper editorial office reports to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that B. Khaziev was attacked on his way from work, close to his home. Unknown persons forced him into the car, put a bag over his head and started beating him. After that the malefactors dropped the unconscious journalist in a dark quarter of the city. Only in the morning some passers-by collected B.Khoziev, unconscious and with grave wounds, and brought him to hospital. B.Khaziev's colleagues report that he has numerous wounds and can hardly speak. However, doctors think that the editor's life is not endangered.