Expert: "The delayed decision of the European Court"

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced a decision in the case of “Rushana Huseynova against Azerbaijan”, which says that the Azerbaijani government did not conduct an effective investigation into the criminal case of the murder of the editor-in-chief of Monitor magazine Elmar Huseynov, did not take the necessary steps to bring to justice the responsibility of the murderers of the journalist.

The court ruled that the government allowed violation of Article 2 of the European Convention (failure to conduct an effective investigation) and ordered him to pay compensation of 20,000 Euros for moral damage to Rushana Huseynova, the wife of the murdered journalist, as well as 10,000 Euros for legal and legal expenses. According to contact.az, this is reported in the press release of the ECHR. The decision also says that because of his critical articles, Elmar Huseynov was constantly exposed to threats and pressure from the authorities, he was brought to justice on 34 occasions. In January 2004, police officers asked him to stop printing critical articles about the president and his family, otherwise threatened with reprisals.

"The decision of the European Court was rather late, it was announced 12 years later, and this is not entirely fair," lawyer, media expert Alesker Mammadli said. "However, given that the court found violations, this decision can be considered a positive development. Compensation in the amount of 20,000 was awarded not for death or loss of breadwinner, but for delaying the investigation and unfair investigation. There is a special procedure for the implementation of the decisions of the European Court, especially in regard to the payment of compensation. In this case, it is also planned to eliminate the objective and subjective reasons that hamper the investigation, accelerate the process of investigation, the abolition of emptiness in the law. No doubt this decision of the European Court requires certain changes to be made, but whether this will be implemented in reality - time will tell. Personally, I do not really believe in the positive outcome of the matter. If there were any progress, they would be in the course of 12 years that have passed since the murder of Elmar Huseynov, "Mammadli said.

"I consider the decision of the European Court in the case of Elmar Huseynov fair, as before the eyes the ineffective course of the investigation of his murder," lawyer Asabali Mustafayev said. "However, a larger amount of compensation was expected, as it is a well-known journalist, the head of the family. Murderers of the journalist have not yet been found, although there is widely spread information about their personality, different versions sounded. The future will show what the authorities will do. I think that they will learn from this decision. The investigation should be resumed, the perpetrators, and especially the customers of this murder must be found and punished. Otherwise, this will spoil the image of the country, since this decision of the European Court will always be at the center of the attention of the Council of Europe and the local public, added Mustafayev. "