22:45, 13 January 2007

International Committee for Defence of Journalists calls the Azerbaijani authorities to release Sadagatoglu and Tagi

The International Committee for Defence of Journalists (ICDJ) has expressed a regret that judicial authorities of Azerbaijan had decided to extend by two more months the custody term for the two journalists accused of insulting Prophet Mohammed.

"We call the authorities of Azerbaijan to respect the freedom of press and to release Rafik Tagi and Samir Sadagatoglu," Joel Simon, ICDJ's executive director, has declared. "Respect of religious feelings should not be enforced through arresting journalists," he noted.

Samir Sadagatoglu, editor of the "Sanat" (Arts) newspaper, and publicist Rafik Tagi were arrested on November 15, 2006, after the paper had published a critical article on Islam. However, after expiry of two months the investigation was not over. Thus, on January 11, the Nasiminskiy Court again extended the term of arrest of both journalists by other two months.

The authorities assert that Rafik Tagi's article has provoked manifestations of radical Islamists in Iran and Azerbaijan who have passed a death sentence to the author.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent