Pressure on Journalist Idrak Abbasov

Last night unknown people tried to break into the car of journalist Idrak Abbasov, working for the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety and the newspaper Ayna-Zerkalo.

According to the reporter, about 2:35 last night, his Opel Astra car alarm sounded which was parked in the yard. Outside, he saw that the left rear door was open. He immediately informed neighbors and colleagues and called the 40th Station of the Binagadi District Police. However, the police said there was no one available to go to the journalist's place. Abbasov himself came to the police, where his car was inspected, but no theft or anything suspicious was found.

According to the reporter, this is the third such incident to his car in the last few days. Abbasov said he was being intimidated and drugs or weapons could be planted resulting in his arrest.  Abbasov has repeatedly been subjected to physical and moral pressure. On April 18, he was severely beaten by the security department of SOCAR, when he was shooting house demolitions and the opposition between SOCAR workers and the population of the Sulu-Tepe village.

Before that his parents and brothers were brutally beaten, by employees of SOCAR, when they tried to demolish their house located in the same village.

The officials in the Binagadi District Police declined to comment on the journalist's complaint. -06D-