RALLY-MANIFESTATION IN MEMORY OF ELMAR HUSEYNOV IS TO TAKE PLACE ON JULY 17

Turan, 07.07.2005: At today's session of the Union of Editors the question on conduction on July 17 of the rally-manifestation in memory of Elmar Huseynov was discussed (July 17 is his birthday). Shahbaz Khuduoglu, a representative of the "Elmar Huseynov" Fund told that no investigation is going on the case of murder of Elmar Huseynov. Five months passed since then, the investigation has made only five statements on the case, and considers the case completed. According to him, the authorities of Georgia demonstrated great "responsibility" in the case. On the results of discussing, it was adopted to publish in all newspapers the call to take part in the rally-manifestation in memory of Elmar Huseynov. The procession will start at the building of the Academy of Sciences and will end near the grave of Elmar Huseynov. The participants of the action will send warning letter to the mayor's office.

* Editor in Chief of weekly magazine "Monitor" Elmar Huseynov was shot by strangers on March 2 at the door of his flat. The authorities state that they know the names of the murderers, which are the Azeris from Georgia. They are wanted.

Assassinated Azerbaijan editor Elmar Huseynov

Elmar Huseynov, 37, started his journalistic career in the early 1990s when he joined the independent Russian-language Zerkalo newspaper.

In 1995, he set up the weekly Monitor magazine.

Monitor has been consistently critical of the Azerbaijan government, former President Heydar Aliyev, and the current President Ilham Aliyev.

Recent articles have highlighted human rights, torture in Azerbaijanian prisons following a recent prison riot, and the plight of the army.

The Justice Ministry once forced Huseynov to publish a disclaimer, apologising for allegedly misleading statements in one of his articles.

Threatened with closure, Huseynov published the disclaimer, but then in an editorial note he refuted it in its entirety and protested against the violation of his constitutional rights.

The government has also tried to close down the printing companies where Monitor is produced, but following protests from the public and the diplomatic community, the authorities acknowledged that the closure was illegal.

Over the past several years, government officials have confiscated copies of Monitor from state and private newsstands across Baku and charged Huseynov with defaming the Azerbaijan population, insulting the honour and dignity of government officials, and spreading libellous information.

Nevertheless, in recent times the magazine has become more easily available, with vendors selling it on the streets in Baku. But all Baku-based printing companies are currently refusing to produce the magazine.

In one of his last interviews with the BBC, Huseynov said his work had ceased to be that of a journalist and had turned into guerrilla warfare.

"When I am hit below the belt, it is difficult to think of ethics. I have developed my own code and this code is not the code of a journalist," he said.

"This is a code of guerrilla war. We are not a media outlet. We are guerrillas."

Huseynov, who graduated as a construction engineer, also established the Bakinskiy Bulvar newspaper which was known for critical reporting and hard-hitting commentary.

The newspaper had a small print-run and published for two years before it was closed down by the government.

On the evening of 2 March Mr Huseynov was shot dead while walking up the stairwell of his building as he returned from work. Mr Huseynov had reportedly received several recent threats and was concerned about his security.

The world community was particularly concerned that Mr Huseynov might have been murdered because of his professional activities. Monitor has repeatedly angered officials and currently faces several lawsuits in retaliation for its critical reporting. Journalists working for the publication have faced a steady stream of harassment from government authorities. In February, military officials abducted Monitor journalist Akrep Hasanov and held him for five hours after he had exposed abuses and mismanagement in an Azerbaijani military unit.

Mr Huseynov’s murder comes amid a broad government crackdown on the media and opposition that followed the flawed presidential elections held in October 2003. Rauf Arifoglu, editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat and deputy head of the Musavat opposition party, was arrested after the election. In October 2004, Mr Arifoglu was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of organising anti-government protests. Such incidents foster a climate of fear that inhibits journalistic investigation and can promote self-censorship.

Authorities should take all steps necessary to create an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their profession without fear of violence.

P.S.: July 17 is Elmar Husseynov’s birthday. The opposition plans to hold a street rally on that day to revere his memory. The event also is to be witnessed by opposition leaders.

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