Azerbaijan: father of imprisoned journalist asserts that his son's life is in danger

The life of Einullah Fatullaev, founder and editor-in-chief of newspapers "Real Azerbaijan" and "Gyundelik Azerbaijan", who is kept at Penitentiary Establishment No. 12, is under threat, his father Emin Fatullaev has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that at today's press conference held at the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) Emin Fatullaev said that the inmate who attacked the journalist on October 11 is mentally sick.

Yesterday, on October 21, Emin Fatullaev had a meeting with his son. As he said, on October 1 one of prisoners came up to Einullah Fatullaev and said that he did not like the way he looked at him. In his turn, the journalist said that he did not know the person, but if the latter did not like something, Einullah was ready to apologize. Nevertheless, on October 11 that very prisoner assaulted Fatullaev.

The journalist, having raised his hands, demonstrated to other persons present that he was not beating the attacker; the fight was stopped by intervention of other prisoners. Despite it, the journalist was put into dungeon for 5 days. The attacker was also placed there.

Referring to the words of the colony doctor that the person who attacked Einullah Fatullaev is a mentally sick person, Emin Fatullaev has expressed fear that this prisoner, after leaving the dungeon in a couple of days, can make another assault on his son. Therefore, Emin Fatullaev asked to send the attacker to medical treatment.

Emin Fatullaev does not exclude other provocations against the journalist. "Kerim Shirinov, head of the operative division of Penitentiary Establishment No. 12, makes use of persons with non-traditional sexual orientation and sick inmates in staging his provocations against prisoners. Shirinov neglects both instructions of the prison administration, and the rules of the Penitentiary Service," said Emin Fatullaev.

Shakhveled Chobanoglu, the present chief-editor of the newspaper "Gyundelik Azerbaijan", draw attention to the fact that the incident with Fatullaev took place on the eve of consideration of his complaint by the European Court for Human Rights.

He has noted that the provocation against Fatullaev practically coincided in time with beating in Colony No. 14 of satirist Mirza Sakit from the "Azadlyg" newspaper. In the opinion of Mr Chobanoglu, this is an indication of the "gravity of the threat" to lives of imprisoned journalists.