In Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan police ignores journalists' complaint

Regional correspondents of the Azeri Service of Radio Liberty Malakhat Nasibova and Ilgar Nasibov, and Elman Abbasov, regional representative of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), addressed by mail to the prosecutor's office of the Babek District of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR).

Earlier, the journalists fruitlessly tried to file a complaint to the police. The reason for the complaint was attack on these journalists by persons in civilian in Nekhram village on August 27.

Malakhat Nasibova told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that in their complaint journalists asked to investigate the incident and to bring those guilty to responsibility under Article 163 of the Criminal Code ("Interference into lawful professional work of journalists").

The journalists also ask to punish the policemen who were indifferent spectators of the execution of media workers and did not interfere into the incident.

Ms Nasibova said also that not a single doctor in Nakhichevan dared to help them, fearing prosecution of the authorities. For the same reason they could not undergo medical examination for traces of the beatings.

According to the Turan Agency, the US embassy in Baku has addressed the Azerbaijani government with a request to investigate the fact of beating journalists, and should a criminal act be established, to bring culprits to responsibility.

The attack on journalists was resolutely condemned by Jeffrey Gedmin, head of the Radio Liberty-Free Europe Corporation. He demanded to find and punish the persons who had applied force against journalists.

The Azerbaijani MIA and State Office of Public Prosecutor abstain to make comments on the facts of violence against journalists and advise to address the law enforcement bodies of the Autonomous Republic, which refuse to communicate with the press at all.