Journalists - drug addicts?

Recently, journalists have shown a strong "interest" in drugs. Even those who have never smoked keep drugs in their pockets or in their apartments for some reason, according to our law enforcement agencies.

    And there is another joyful message. To find a drug you do not have to look very far. For example, marijuana and hashish can be "got" from Mirza Sakit, for heroin you should "run off" to Eynullah Fatullayev, and now to the editor of Tolyshi Sado, Hilal Mamedov, as well as to the employee of the Sahar TV channel, Anar Bayramli and the editor of the Azadxeber.org website, Nijat Aliyev.

    At various times these journalists were accused and charged under Article 234 (Acquisition or possession of drugs in large amounts). They used not some cheap street varieties, but expensive drugs. It is quite possible that soon cocaine will be also found on journalists.

    According to the annual report of the U.S. State Department, a total of 11 tons of heroin were transported through the Caucasus in 2011. About 4 tons of this was used in the countries of the region, and 7 tons were transported to Europe.

    Azerbaijan receives most of its opium from Afghanistan. Azerbaijan itself grows marijuana. The question arises, who brings tons of heroin and opium here, and who grows marijuana. Do journalists do this?

    Thus, the Azadlig newspaper satirist Mirza Sakit was sentenced on June 23, 2006 to four years of imprisonment on charges of drug possession and was released on April 9, 2009.

    The editor of Real Azerbaijan Fatullayev was arrested on April 20, 2007. Already in prison in December 2009 he was charged with drug possession and sentenced to another two and a half years in prison. On May 26, 2011, he was pardoned.

    The editor of the Islamazeri.az website Ramin Bayramov was arrested in August 2011 under the same ill-fated Article 234. In March 2012 the Khirdalan court sentenced him to fifteen years of imprisonment.

    A correspondent from an Iranian TV channel, Sahar Anar Bayramli, was arrested in February 2012 under Article 234 of the Criminal Code. In June the Binagadi court sentenced him to two years of imprisonment.

    The editor of Azadxeber.org, Nijat Aliyev, was arrested on the same charges in May 2012. On May 21 the court sanctioned his arrest for two months.

    The chief editor of Tolyshi Sado, Hilal Mamedov, was arrested in June 2012. On June 22 the Nizami district’s court in Baku sanctioned his arrest for three months.

    Who is next?

     * In 2010, the Deputy Prosecutor General Rustam Usubov said that 35% of the drugs produced in Afghanistan are transported through Azerbaijan. If we consider that this country produces 800 tons of heroin per annum, this will mean that more than 200 tons of the substance is passed via Azerbaijan, not to mention other kinds of drugs.

     According to American and Russian intelligence services, Azerbaijan is one of the main drug transit routes to Europe and Russia. Most of the drugs come through Iran in containers, as well as from Turkmenistan across the Caspian Sea. 

     In Azerbaijan there is also a marked increase in the number of drug addicts. Officially, there are more than 25,000 of them registered. However, according to the U.S. Department of State, the number is 10 times higher. An especially large percentage of drug addicts are found among students.

      Experts are skeptical about the success of anti-drug programs in Azerbaijan, as this highly profitable dirty business is backed by high-ranking officials and the international network of drug trafficking. 

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