"Azadlig" newspaper calls for the defense

"Azadlig"  newspaper sharply criticizing the authorities of Azerbaijan can be closed due to next judicial and financial pressure.

 The Editor, Rahim Hajibeyli, speaking  on Tuesday at a meeting of the public in the Media Center, said that on November 5 court  arrested the bank account of the newspaper, which is equivalent to the termination of the publisher.

The  reason  for the arrest  of the accounts  became three court decisions imposing fines on the claims of state officials, whom  the newspaper criticized. Total fines amounted to 66,000 manat.

"Azadlig", which has the second largest circulation in the country(6000 copies), has become the object of pressure due to the harsh criticism of senior officials, including the President Ilham Aliyev.

Chairman of the Popular Front Party, Ali Kerimli, who is very close to the newspaper, regarded the campaign  of stifling the newspaper, as a preparation  to unfair presidential elections in Azerbaijan in October 2013. "The authorities have taken various actions - took away the newspaper's offices, have limited its spread, beat and arrested its journalists, and now decided to completely stifle the publication through financial sanctions," he said.

The fact that the state distribution company GASID refuses to pay the debt to the newspaper amounting 35,000 manat, and state publishing house "Azerbaijan"  refuses to print the newspaper  because of the debt which is less than that amount, testifies to the state order to close the newspaper. 

According to the prominent scholar Rafiq Aliyev, the closing of "Azadlig" will deprive tens and even hundreds of thousands of people in Azerbaijan and abroad  an opportunity to obtain alternative information, and will  cause serious damage to the public interest.

Human rights activist Leyla Yunus and other participants in the meeting made a number of initiatives to create a system of protection of the newspaper, including picketing,  collection of signatures and funds, references to international institutions, and appeal to the public.

Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the "Yeni Musavat" newspaper, which is also subjected to prosecution under claims  of senior officials, expressed willingness to hold the  joint protests.

"Azadlig" and its supporters intend to promptly development  and taking  concrete steps  to prevent stifle the  opposition newspapers.

The Organization to protect freedom of press, "Reporters Without Borders", strongly condemned the decision of the Azerbaijani court to freeze the bank account of opposition newspaper "Azadlig". "This illegal decision is a decisive phase in the last few months to stifle the "Azadlig" newspaper, the statement of the Organization reads.—0-