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Reporters Without Borders: After his release from prison Fatullajev
went over to government
15:47 23/03/2013 » IN THE WORLD
As soon as President Ilham Aliyev granted Eynulla Fatullajev a pardon
in 2011, the human rights defender published reports that are
conspicuously pro-governmental in their stance, the statement of
international human rights organization Reporters Without Borders
says.
`Reporters Without Borders' is appalled at the harsh action the
Azerbaijani regime is taking against its critics in the run-up to the
presidential election this autumn,' the statement says.
Reporters Without Borders state that it distances itself from dubious
attempts to create an anti-European mood in the country and thus
weaken the opposition. One example of this is a supposed "study" done
by Eynulla Fatullajev called `Decline of Europe,' which allegedly the
organization upholded.
"We were in no way involved in this study - contrary to what it claims
- and consider it absolutely disproportionate to compare human rights
abuses in Germany with those in Azerbaijan," Christian Mihr, Executive
Director of the German section of Reporters without Borders, stressed
in Berlin.
Fattulayev presented his "study", from which Reporters Without
Borders, Amnesty International and many other quoted persons have
since distanced themselves, in Brussels in January 2013.
`A few days later the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
rejected a resolution calling for the release of political prisoners
in Azerbaijan by a large majority and instead merely passed a general
declaration on the state of human rights in the country. The German
Rapporteur Christoph Strässer attributed this to massive lobbying on
the Azerbaijani side. The European Stability Initiative had already
described this type of lobbying in detail in a report titled "Caviar
Diplomacy" published in May 2012,'the statement says.
"We note with consternation that even former critics of the regime are
now being roped in for this," Reporters Without Borders' director Mihr
commented.
According to the statement seven months before the presidential
elections take place in October, critical journalists and media are
being subjected to enormous pressure in Azerbaijan. On March 12, a
court in Baku sentenced Avaz Zeynalli, the chief editor of Khural
newspaper, to nine years in prison. Further criminal proceedings are
underway against Hilal Mammedov, chief editor of the minority
newspaper Tolishi Sado(Voice of Talish) and other journalists. The
most important opposition newspaper in the country, Azadliq, is on the
brink of bankruptcy owing to hefty fines imposed as a result of
defamation cases.
`At least nine journalists were arrested on January 26 for taking part
in non-authorised street protests in Baku, including Khadija
Ismayilova, a reporter who has attracted international attention for
her research into abuses of power and corruption, and blogger Emin
Milli. The penalties for participating in unauthorised gatherings had
already been substantially increased prior to the protests. On March
11 President Ilham Aliyev signed further changes to the law, limiting
the freedom of assembly and making the work of civil society
organizations more difficult,' the document reads.
Reporters Without Borders sees Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev as
one of the worst predators of press freedom worldwide. The southern
Caucasian country ranks 156th out of 179 states in Reporters Without
Borders' current Press Freedom Index.
Note that the editor in chief and founder of the newspaper "Real
Azerbaijan" and "Gundalik Azerbaijan" Eynulla Fatullajev was released
from Azerbaijani prison on May 26, 2011, after more than four years of
imprisonment. He was subjected to repressions after admitting that the
Armenians did not kill the residents of Khojalu.
The in late January, international human rights organization `Amnesty
International', stopped working with him, believing that Fatullajev is
working on the Azerbaijani authorities.
Source: Panorama.am
went over to government
15:47 23/03/2013 » IN THE WORLD
As soon as President Ilham Aliyev granted Eynulla Fatullajev a pardon
in 2011, the human rights defender published reports that are
conspicuously pro-governmental in their stance, the statement of
international human rights organization Reporters Without Borders
says.
`Reporters Without Borders' is appalled at the harsh action the
Azerbaijani regime is taking against its critics in the run-up to the
presidential election this autumn,' the statement says.
Reporters Without Borders state that it distances itself from dubious
attempts to create an anti-European mood in the country and thus
weaken the opposition. One example of this is a supposed "study" done
by Eynulla Fatullajev called `Decline of Europe,' which allegedly the
organization upholded.
"We were in no way involved in this study - contrary to what it claims
- and consider it absolutely disproportionate to compare human rights
abuses in Germany with those in Azerbaijan," Christian Mihr, Executive
Director of the German section of Reporters without Borders, stressed
in Berlin.
Fattulayev presented his "study", from which Reporters Without
Borders, Amnesty International and many other quoted persons have
since distanced themselves, in Brussels in January 2013.
`A few days later the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
rejected a resolution calling for the release of political prisoners
in Azerbaijan by a large majority and instead merely passed a general
declaration on the state of human rights in the country. The German
Rapporteur Christoph Strässer attributed this to massive lobbying on
the Azerbaijani side. The European Stability Initiative had already
described this type of lobbying in detail in a report titled "Caviar
Diplomacy" published in May 2012,'the statement says.
"We note with consternation that even former critics of the regime are
now being roped in for this," Reporters Without Borders' director Mihr
commented.
According to the statement seven months before the presidential
elections take place in October, critical journalists and media are
being subjected to enormous pressure in Azerbaijan. On March 12, a
court in Baku sentenced Avaz Zeynalli, the chief editor of Khural
newspaper, to nine years in prison. Further criminal proceedings are
underway against Hilal Mammedov, chief editor of the minority
newspaper Tolishi Sado(Voice of Talish) and other journalists. The
most important opposition newspaper in the country, Azadliq, is on the
brink of bankruptcy owing to hefty fines imposed as a result of
defamation cases.
`At least nine journalists were arrested on January 26 for taking part
in non-authorised street protests in Baku, including Khadija
Ismayilova, a reporter who has attracted international attention for
her research into abuses of power and corruption, and blogger Emin
Milli. The penalties for participating in unauthorised gatherings had
already been substantially increased prior to the protests. On March
11 President Ilham Aliyev signed further changes to the law, limiting
the freedom of assembly and making the work of civil society
organizations more difficult,' the document reads.
Reporters Without Borders sees Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev as
one of the worst predators of press freedom worldwide. The southern
Caucasian country ranks 156th out of 179 states in Reporters Without
Borders' current Press Freedom Index.
Note that the editor in chief and founder of the newspaper "Real
Azerbaijan" and "Gundalik Azerbaijan" Eynulla Fatullajev was released
from Azerbaijani prison on May 26, 2011, after more than four years of
imprisonment. He was subjected to repressions after admitting that the
Armenians did not kill the residents of Khojalu.
The in late January, international human rights organization `Amnesty
International', stopped working with him, believing that Fatullajev is
working on the Azerbaijani authorities.
Source: Panorama.am