Deputy editor of the newspaper "Azadlig" questioned by the prosecutor’s office (UPDATED)

Today the first deputy chief editor of "Azadlig" newspaper, Rahim Hajiyev, was  questioned by the Investigation Department  on Serious Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan. According to Hajiyev, he was questioned by an investigator Anar Demirchi. "Within an hour, I was answering questions in connection with the criminal case against the financial director of the newspaper "Azadlig" Faig Amirli and activities of the newspaper "Azadlig," said Hajiyev.

Amirli was arrested on  August 20, 2016. He is charged under  the Article 283-2 (inciting ethnic hatred) and 168.1 (infringement of human rights under the pretext of performing religious rites) of the Criminal Code. The investigation presented Amirli as Imam of the movement "Khizmat" led by Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States, and is accused by Ankara  of organization  of  a coup attempt. Amirli denies the charges and says they are politically motivated. -03B05-

2016 December 28 (Wednesday) 21:32:36

The first deputy chief editor of the Azadlig newspaper Rahim Hajiyev was summoned to the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes at the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan on 29 December, as he told reporters. The investigator Anar Demirchiyev told Hajiyev to come to this department at 14.00. 

 Hajiyev said that earlier in September he was questioned by the prosecutor's office as a witness. Then he was caused to sign a commitment of non-disclosure, and he only told the media that he was asked questions in connection with the Azadlig newspaper activities.

Prior to that, the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes at the Prosecutor General's Office questioned other employees of the Azadlig newspaper, Vidadi Mammadov, Khayal Babayev and the deputy editor Sujaddin Sharifov. They reported that the questioning concerned the case of the Financial Director of the newspaper Azadlig Faig Amirli.

 He was detained on 20 August. Amirli is charged under Articles 168.1 (infringement of the rights of citizens under the pretext of performing religious rites) and 283.2.2 (incitement of religious hatred) of the Criminal Code. The investigation presents him as the Imam of the movement Hizmet led by the Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen residing in the USA. Amirli rejects the accusation.

After the arrest of Amirli release of the printed version of the Azadlig newspaper was suspended from 6 September. The State Publishing House Azerbaijan refused to print the newspaper because of its debts. But the debts of the state company Gasid to the newspaper Azadlig repeatedly exceed the newspaper's debt to the publisher.

At the same time, the newspaper cannot carry out banking operations. Its authorized person in the bank is Amirli. The powers of another designated representative of the editorial board are not recognized by the bank. -06D--