The journalists are released without returning their video camera (Updated)

The employee of the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS), and the representative of the Nakhchivan Regional Resource Centre for Development of NGOs and Democracy, Ilgar Nasibov, and a  reporter of the  online edition contact.az Elman Abbasov who were subjected to physical pressure on Saturday on Sadarak Customs, have been released. However, they did not return  Abbasov his camera. According to Abbasov, the camera had been  given to him by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

Along with them were released  Togrul Abbasov, an  employee of the  businessman Mohammed Gurbanov; the journalists arrived to the Customs  Office due to Gurbanov’s problems.

Gurbanov himself and his son-in-law Nadir Mammadov, working for his company, are still kept in the Sadarak  Customs Office. Nadir Mammadov was  severely beaten: his teeth were  broken, and ribs were damaged.

Moreover, according to journalists, Customs workers want to accuse  Mammadov of using knife against them. However, journalists note, Mammadov did not have any knife.

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The employee  of the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety, and employee of the Nakhchivan Regional Resource Centre for Development of NGOs and Democracy, Ilgar  Nasibov, and the reporter of the online edition contact.az, Elman Abbasov, who had barricaded themselves in the car from the pursuing people, left a car  an hour later. They now stand at the customs building and are waiting for the return of their seized equipment.

They were physically abused, along with local businessman Mohammed Gurbanov, who addressed reporters for help in connection with the violation of their rights by local customs. Fleeing from the crowd, all three tried to escape from pursuers by the car, but were blocked by four cars and from 15:00 hours  they were surrounded by violent men.

Nasibov and Abbasov arrived on Saturday at the Sadarak Customs and tried to take pictures of the process of checking the goods  by the businessman, imported from Turkey, but were immediately attacked by persons in civilian clothes.

Abbasov Turan, that they could be  accused for the use of force against the customs officials. "When we rushed to the car to escape from  pursuers, the chief  of customs office, Mohammed Seyidov, also entered the car. He grabbed the camera. When the car started, his one leg was on the ground, and he began to cry. I pulled him over, and he lifted his leg off the ground. After 20 meters Gurbanov stopped the car, and Seyidov left the car and took camera. Seyidov now threatens us that we allegedly wanted to kidnap him. There  is a threat of arrest also for two relatives  of Gurbanov," Abbasov said.

Mohammed Gurbanov fundamentally refuses to pay bribes to customs officials. In 2009,  he was placed for  his refusal to the local psychiatric hospital for 28 days. Gurbanov was released after protests from local and international public.—0-

Journalists  are attacked in Nakhchivan

In Nakhchivan on the  Sadarak Customs, a  group of about 30 people, attacked the employee of the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety, Ilgar Nasibov, the employee of the Nakhchivan Regional Resource Centre for Development of NGOs and Democracy,  and Elman Abbasov, a reporter of the online edition contact.az.

They were physically abused, along with a local businessman who turned to journalists for help in connection with the violation of his rights  by the local Customs. Fleeing from the crowd, all three tried to escape from his pursuers by car, but were blocked by four cars and now ( at 15:00)  they are surrounded by violent men.

Nasibov and Abbasov arrived on Saturday at the Sadarak Customs and tried to take pictures of the process of checking the goods  by the businessman, imported from Turkey, but were immediately attacked by persons in civilian clothes. "They are either workers  of the Customs, or are  close to the customs people,"  Turan was told by Nasibov.

Director of Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev informed the Presidential Administration AR. Service "102" refused to accept the information forwarded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nakhchivan. But helpline of  MİA Nakhchivan "136 102" did not return calls. -0 -