Azerbaijan after Eurovision

July 18th, 2012

As the Eurovision Song Contest fades from memory, Azerbaijan has stepped up its attacks on journalists. Blogger Emil Baghirov reports on the dire state of press freedom in the Caucasus nation
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Azerbaijan: Outspoken blogger released

June 6th, 2012

An Azerbaijani blogger who had spent 15 months in prison for criticising the government was granted an early release by the supreme court on Monday. Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested in March 2011 after calling on social networks for an anti-government protest, but was convicted and sentenced on a charge of evading military service. He will not be able to travel abroad without special permission for another nine months, until the period of his two-year jail sentence is over.

Investigative journalist killed in Russia

August 12th, 2009

A well-known journalist in Daghestan has been found shot dead today, in the North Caucasus region Russian news agencies have reported. Malik Akhmedilov, a leading correspondent for the daily newspaper “Hakikat” (The Truth) was found dead in a car on the outskirts of Daghestan’s capital, Makhachkala. “Hakikat” Editor in Chief Ali Kamalov said he is confident that the killing is connected with his professional activities. Read more here

Activist and husband murdered in Chechnya

August 11th, 2009

A Russian NGO chief and her husband were found shot dead in Chechnya on Tuesday, with their corpses stuffed into a car boot. The murder of the head of Let’s Save the Generation, Zarema Sadulayeva, and her husband came less than one month after Natalya Estemirova, one of the best known activists in Chechnya, was killed in similar circumstances. Read more here