Representatives of independent media honour Elmar Huseynov's memory

Baku/02.03.22/Turan: It is 17 years since the murder of Elmar Huseynov, editor of the Monitor magazine. As every year, on 2 March, a group of journalists representing the country's free media paid tribute to the journalist at his grave at Baku's Yasamal Cemetery.

Speaking at the grave, Director of Turan News Agency Mehman Aliyev said Elmar Huseynov's murder was aimed at silencing the free press in the country.

"In the 17 years since Elmar Huseynov's murder, the free press has been practically destroyed. The recently adopted media law is yet another proof of the continuation and intensification of the policy of suppressing the independent media. Now it is no longer a question of destroying free media which has already been practically done, but of eliminating the information society altogether. However, despite all the efforts of the authorities, they have failed to take control over the information society. I believe the information society will ultimately win in Azerbaijan", Aliyev said.

Shahbaz Hududoglu, head of "Ganun" publishing house, believes that the disclosure of Elmar Huseynov's murder is linked to political will.

"If there is a political will and a serious investigative team of professionals is formed, Elmar's killers will be found and punished," Huduoglu said.

Elmar Huseynov was shot dead on March 2, 2005 at the threshold of his flat.

Although 17 years have passed since the crime, the perpetrators of the murder have not yet been brought to justice.

After his death, the journalist's wife and young son emigrated to Norway.

E. Huseynov was born on 17 July 1967 in Baku.

Note that Huseynov entered journalism in 1995, co-founding the Trend agency. In 1996, Huseynov founded the "Monitor' magazine. In different years he also published newspapers "Baku Boulevard" and "Baku Vedomosti".

In April 2017, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Azerbaijan had failed to effectively investigate Huseynov's murder.

The ECHR ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay the widow of the deceased €20,000 for moral damages and €10,000 for legal costs.

The Azerbaijani law enforcement authorities stated that they had made all necessary efforts to solve the murder.

They claimed that those suspected of involvement in the murder were in Georgia; however, the authorities of this country would not extradite them.-06B-