Azerbaijani Council of Press calls Ilham Aliev to pardon journalists

The Council of Press (CP) of Azerbaijan has sent an appeal to President Ilham Aliev asking him to pardon four convicted journalists.

The message of the CP, which has arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, expresses hope that the opinion of the Council will be taken into account, and the editors-in-chief of the newspapers "Azadlyg" (Ganimat Zakhidov) and "Real Azerbaijan" (Einullah Fatullaev), satirist Mirza Sakit (Sakit Zakhidov) and correspondent of the newspaper "Bizim Yol" Mushvig Guseinov will go at large.

Making his comments on this appeal, Aflatun Amashev, head of the Council of Press, has noted that "pardoning of journalists would contribute better relations of the power and the press."

At the same time, Mr Amashev has refuted the information that the Council of Press had addressed on the pardon issues to the head of the Administration of Caucasian Moslems Sheikhulislam Allahshukyur Pashazade. However, Aflatun Amashev has highly estimated Sheikhulislam's efforts to release the journalists and expressed his gratitude to him.

On October 28, President received another appeal to pardon the convicted journalists - from the Monitoring Group of Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan.