Eynulla Fatullayev

Eynulla Fatullayev ( _az. Eynulla Fətullayev) is an Azerbaijani journalist and editor-in-chief of the independent Russian-language weekly "Realny Azerbaijan" and Azeri-language daily "Gündəlik Azərbaycan" newspapers. He has been persecuted in Azerbaijan for his criticism of the government's policies and for his alleged publications that the Khojaly massacre was committed by Azerbaijanis against other Azerbaijanis and not by Armenians.cite web | url= http://news.trendaz.com/cgi-bin/readnews2.pl?newsId=934623&lang=EN|title=Nagorno-Karabakh Veterans Oppose Eynulla Fatullayev’s Edition|accessdate=2007-06-01] Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Azerbaijani authorities for tolerating escalating press freedom violations which highlights the poor record of human rights in Azerbaijan.

Editor of Realny Azerbaijan and Gündəlik Azərbaycan

Eynulla Fatullayev is notable for his publications in the newspapers in which he is editor-in-chief. His publications are controversial as they are often critical of the Azerbaijani government and its policies.cite web | url= http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11501|title=Reporters Without Borders condemns Human lack of governmental care for Human Rights in Azerbaijan|accessdate=2007-03-24] He criticises the government for its tolerance of press freedom violations and its dismal support for human rights in Azerbaijan. He has also been criticised for his article about the 2003 Azerbaijani elections which were accused of being frauded.

Persecution

Fatullayev has a history of threats ranging to become persecuted, death threats, being beaten and even having family members kidnapped in Azerbaijan. On July 26, 2004, he was severely beaten with blows to the head in Baku street for his articles critical of the government. Eynulla Fatullayev also was called to face a fine of 25,000 Euros and to be jailed for "insulting the name and dignity" of a deputy in the ruling party, Siyavush Novruzov.

In early August 2006, Minister Usubov filed three criminal defamation suits against Eynulla Fatullayev in response to articles titled “The revenge of the antibiotic,” “The failure of the antibiotic,” and “The antibiotic and journalists,” published in July and August, which alleged ties between Interior Ministry official Ramil Usubov and Haji Mammadov, a former Interior Ministry official who was on trial for murder and kidnapping.cite web | url= http://www.cpj.org/protests/06ltrs/europe/azer02oct06pl.html|title=Committee to Protect Journalists letter to Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan.|accessdate=2007-03-24] On September 26, 2006, Judge Malakhat Abdulmanafova of the Yasamal District Court in Baku convicted Fatullayev of criminal libel and insult and sentenced him to a conditional two-year prison term, ordered him to publish a retraction, and pay a fine of US$11,300 in moral damages to Usubov. Fatullayev suspects this was in retaliation to his critical publications against the Interior Ministry.

On October 1, 2006, Eynulla Fatullayev was forced to suspend publication of both papers after his father was kidnapped. The kidnappers threatened to kill Fatullayev, as well as his father, if Fatullayev continued to publish the papers. The kidnapping had been preceded by numerous phone threats against Fatullayev and his family.cite web | url= http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/09/azerba15374_txt.htm|title=Human Right Watch letter/Fatullayev father kidnapped|accessdate=2007-03-24] Fatullayev told Human Rights watch cquote|Starting on September 27 , I personally, my family, and the paper’s commercial director got frequent phone calls warning us to stop writing critical articles against the Interior Minister Ramil Usubov, or they were going to kill me like Elmar Husseinov [investigative journalist, murdered on March 2, 2005] ... They called my mother and threatened to murder the entire family if I did not stop writing.... On September 31, several unidentified, armed people kidnapped my father, blindfolded him, and took him to some kind of a country house. I received a phone call demanding that I stop publication of my newspapers or I would loose (sic) my father... The next morning I announced the closure of the papers. Only then my father was released.

On March 6, 2007, Nizami Bahmanov, head of Azerbaijani community of Karabakh, complained that Eynulla Fatullayev had given false information that the Khojaly massacre had been committed by Azerbaijanis and not by Armenians. The editor-in-chief said he did not hold an interview with the website and called it propaganda against him.cite web | url= http://www.today.az/news/society/37452.html|title=Fatullayev accuses Azerbaijanis of committing Khojaly massacre.|accessdate=2007-03-24] On March 1, 2007, 70-80 people had held a protest outside the editorial office of Fatullayev and raised posters that accused him of being a Dashnak (Armenian) agent and calling for Fatullayev's deprivation of citizenship.cite web | url= http://www.today.az/news/politics/37194.html|title=Protest against Eynulla Fatullayev in Azerbaijan.|accessdate=2007-03-24] After the reading the resolution, the participants threw eggs at the editorial office which broke two windows. The police suppressed the protest. On May 31, 2007, the Azerbaijani Union of War Veterans expressed its disapproval against Fatullayev's article about the Khojaly massacre.

References

See also

*Human Rights in Azerbaijan
*Elmar Huseynov