Six employees of the newspaper "Azadlyg" were interrogated on 18 and 20 February in the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan. In particular, for questioning they were summoned: Ilham Hussein, Ayten Mammadova, Elshan Shirinov, Vidadi Mamedov, Khalid Garayev, and Fizza Heydarov. According to the journalists, they were asked about the activities of the newspaper, including financial matters. The journalists were interrogated in the criminal proceedings against the CFO of the newspaper "Azadlig" Faig Amirov. At the same time against the "Azadlig" newspaper under the same criminal case was initiated a tax audit for the years 2010-2016.
According to the lawyer of the newspaper Sameda Rahimov, such a check has not been substantiated.
According to him, the prosecutor's office initiated an audit to find some receipts in the house of Amirov.
However Amirov is accused of quite different thing - inciting religious hatred.
The newspaper appealed in the courts the illegality of the inspection, but the Baku Administrative-Economic Court No.1 and the Court of Appeal rejected the amended claims.
The lawyer also pointed out the illegality of tax audit activities for the period since 2010. By law, such an audit may be carried out only in the last three years.
Complaint of the editorial office on the matter is currently being considered by the Baku Administrative Economic Court No.1 and the next meeting will take place on March, 16th.
*Amirov was arrested in August 2016. He was charged under Articles 283.1 (inciting religious hatred) and 168.1 (infringement of human rights under the pretext of performing religious rites) of the Criminal Code. The investigation accused him of having links with the Movement "Khizmat" Fethullah Gulen, Turkey announced that the organizer of the failed coup d'etat in July 2016. However, the real reason for his arrest, according to independent observers, is to stifle the newspaper "Azadlig" and leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli, whose assistant is also Amirov.-05B06-
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