Journalists of Azerbaijan ask Aliev to release Zakhidov

The Committee for defence of the rights of satirical journalist Sakit Zakhidov adopted today an appeal to the name of the head of Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliev. The letter runs that allegations of storing and disseminating of narcotic drugs in relation to Zakhidov are far-fetched, and his arrest has an "ordered nature."

The members of the Committee called the head of the state to help to release the satirist and to punish those who organized this provocation.

Meanwhile, the editor of the newspaper "Bizim Jol" ("Our Road") Bakhaddin Khaziev addressed the general prosecutor and the ministers of internal affairs and national security in connection with a threat to his life. In his letter he reminds that at night from May 18 to 19 he was kidnapped by unknown persons and subjected to physical and moral violence, as a result of which he got heavy traumas, and has been in hospital for 45 days already. The kidnapers did not hide that they were dissatisfied with the professional activity of the journalist. They threatened that the same will be done with the members of Khaziev's family and his colleagues from the newspaper "Bizim Jol."

In this connection, Khaziev was asking the heads of the power structures of Azerbaijan to speed up the investigation of this crime and to prevent a possible violence against the members of his family and his colleagues.

In his turn, Fuad Mustafayev, deputy chairperson for political issues of the Party of the National Front of Azerbaijan (PNFA) told the Day.Az that launching by the Amnesty International of a special Internet-portal dedicated to the freedom of speech in Azerbaijan evidences a poor situation with mass media in the country. According to his version, establishment by such international human rights organization like the Amnesty International of a portal on Azerbaijan is a warning signal for the authorities.

See earlier reports: "Amnesty International is concerned with stronger pressure on journalists."