The journalist considers the warning of the Prosecutor General's Office unreasonable

Baku/26.01.18/Turan: Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan issued a warning to journalist AvazZeynalli for status in facebook and publication of an interview with the director of the agency Turan on the site xural.com. The journalist considers the warning unreasonable.

The statement of the Prosecutor General's Office reads that in January 26, the inspection conducted by these bodies revealed violation of the requirements of the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Mass Media" xural.com. This was expressed "in the deliberate and prejudicial dissemination of misleading materials of sensational nature, not substantiated by concrete facts, casting a shadow on the activities of officials and state bodies represented by them."

In this regard, the editor-in-chief AvazZeynalli was summoned to the Prosecutor General's Office, where he was informed about the inadmissibility of abuse of the media.

In accordance with the requirements of the law "On the Prosecutor's Office" an official warning was issued that in the event of continued illegal actions against him, more strictmeasures will be applied, provided for by law, up to criminal liability.

Zeynalli himself informed Turan that he was received by first deputy prosecutor,General RustamUsubov, and held a "preventive conversation" with him.In particular, he was accused of status in facebook, published before the New Year, in which he criticized the decisions about the arrests of journalists AfganSadygov, Aziz Orujev, AfganMukhtarly, and regarded it as a new repressive wave."But, in my opinion, the main reason for the call was an interview with Turan agency director MehmanAliyev. I was told that I mislead the public by such interviews,"Zeynalli said.He noted that he had received a written warning, but he refused to sign it."This is nothing more than interference in journalistic activities. I believe that I do thig that the journalists must do. Such things will not force me to abandon my professional activities, "Zeynalli said.

In an interview with xural.com, Aliyev, referring to reliable sources, said that the initiator of his arrest on the pretext of tax evasion in August 2017 was the presidential assistant forpublic and political affairs Ali Hasanov and Prosecutor General ZakirGaralov."They both appealed to the president about the need formy arrest and explained this with some kind of threat that I could cause to the authorities in 2018," Aliyev said.

For the first time MehmanAliyev publicly announced this in an online interview with Osmangyzy on December 13. In that interview was mentioned the name of Ali Hasanov, but not Garalov. Hasanov did not refute this fact for a month and a half.

The sanction for Aliyev's arrest was given on August 24, 2017, on the basis of a fabricated case of tax evasion amounting to 38,000 manats. The case was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Taxes and the Prosecutor General's Office. However, Ali Hasanov and the prosecutor's office made statements that this case is not of a political nature.However, on September 11, Aliyev was released, the criminal case was closed by the Ministry of Taxes on October 30. On November 2, the first deputy prosecutor general RustamUsubov personally handed MehmanAliyev a document of the Prosecutor General's Officeconfirming the decision of the Ministry of Taxes on the termination of the lawsuit. The charge of tax evasion amounting to AZN 38,000 was abolished and subsequently confirmed in court as unlawful.These events showed that the case was ordered and was politically motivated. -06D---