OSCE Special Representative accuses Azerbaijani law enforcers of fabricating cases against journalists

Today, Miklos Harasti, Special Representative of the OSCE for the press issue, has made a statement on the occasion of prosecution of journalists in Azerbaijan, in which he has accused law enforcement bodies of falsifying cases against journalists.

He gave examples of the cases of convicted journalists: Einullah Fatullaev, Ganimat and Sakit Zakhidovs. "All the three journalists are serving their terms based on invented charges - terrorism, tax evasion, drug dealing and hooliganism. The latest case - against journalist Agyl Khalil - is an addition demonstration of the dangerous tendency of illegal involvement of law enforcement bodies into the fight against critical voices," Mr Harasti has noted.

"Instead of investigating the facts and reasons of beatings and attack on the journalist, the Prosecutor's Office has launched a discredit campaign against him," said the Special Representative and added that the family of the journalist has named the Public Prosecutor who tortured and blackmailed Khalil by showing a compromising video about him on TV channels.

The OSCE representative has called the TV channels, which had put the compromising video about the journalist on air, "to cease being a tool in propaganda prosecution of their colleague." Miklos Harasti has also called the law enforcement bodies "to stop the wave of slander and bring those guilty of violence against journalists to responsibility."