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CPJ's August 25 protest letter
New York, September 1, 2000 -- Rauf Arifoglu, editor-in-chief
of the Azeri opposition daily Yeni Musavat, was officially
charged on August 29 with attempted hijacking, terrorism, and illegal
possession of arms, after spending a week in solitary confinement
at the Ministry for National Security, according to local and international
media. If convicted, the journalist faces between five and 10 years
in prison.
The charges result from Yeni Musavat's coverage of an attempted
airplane hijacking in Nakhchivan, an Azeri enclave located between
Armenia and Turkey. The hijacker, a member of the opposition Musavat,
called Arifoglu from the plane to dictate his demands, which he wanted
the editor to publish in the party's newspaper, Yeni Musavat.
Arifoglu immediately notified the police, offering
to turn over his tape recording of the hijacker's demands. Azeri authorities,
however, have tried to make the unlikely case that the editor helped
plan the hijacking. On August 22, Arifoglu was summoned to the prosecutor's
office for questioning. Officials interrogated the editor for four
hours, and then escorted him to his apartment, where they searched
the premises. Arifoglu's lawyer was not allowed to be present during
the search.
"We deplore Arifoglu's illegal arrest and the absurd charges pressed
against him," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "We fear that
this incident, along with other press-freedom violations in the past
few weeks, constitute an organized government campaign to stifle independent
journalism in Azerbaijan during the run-up to the November 5 parliamentary
elections."
While the search was still going on, Arifoglu announced that investigators
had planted the gun in his apartment. He now argues that all charges
against him are politically motivated and based on trumped-up evidence.
Arifoglu also believes that Azeri authorities are trying to prevent
him from running in the November election (he had been registered
as a Musavat candidate). Under local law, a convicted criminal cannot
run for public office.
Arifoglu has been held at the Ministry for National Security since
his arrest, since authorities refused to free him on bail after the
arraignment. The editor is refusing to cooperate with investigators;
he launched a hunger strike on August 28. Arifoglu's colleagues are
concerned about his health (he has a duodenal ulcer) and called on
him to end the strike.
Meanwhile, Arifoglu's lawyer, Vidadi Mahmudov, was summoned to the
prosecutor's office on August 31. He was accused of leaking privileged
information relating to the investigation, according to the Turan
news agency. Other Musavat Party officials have also been questioned
in connection with the hijack attempt, although the hijacker has claimed
sole responsibility for the incident.
"CPJ calls on Azeri authorities to release the editor immediately
and drop all charges against him, and to create an atmosphere in which
all journalists in Azerbaijan may cover the news without interference
from the government," Cooper said.
END
