Journalist arrested in Azerbaijan

On September 22, Khyakimeldostu Mekhtiev, regional correspondent of the "Eni Musavat" newspaper for the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR) of Azerbaijan, was sentenced by the Sharur District Court to a 15-day administrative arrest.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it at the editorial board of the "Eni Musavat" newspaper. The employees of the newspaper have noted that the journalists had been detained by the Sharur District police and brought to the District Court, which accused Mr Mekhtiev of "rendering resistance to police" and sentenced him to 15 days of arrest.

A day before, Mekhtiev was detained by employees of the local unit of the Ministry of National Security (MNS). They scolded the journalist for his publications on the problems in the sphere of gas and power supplies.

In its turn, the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has informed about closing in Dzhalilli village by MNS employees of the tea-house belonging to journalist's brother Nariman Mekhtiev. According to the latter, the MNS representatives had motivated their action by the "political conversations held among the tea-house visitors."

Meanwhile, the family of the arrested journalist has addressed for help to human rights activists and international organizations. Their statement runs that after his arrest on September 22 the journalist was kept for 7 hours and tortured at the Sharur MNS unit. After his release, Mekhtiev tried to undergo a medical examination and to obtain a conclusion, but he was rejected it and brought to the police station, where a case was fabricated about his resistance to the police, and he was arrested for 15 days.