Eminent opposition journalist Seymur Haziyev was abducted and beaten on Saturday night (26 March). He was attacked by six masked men and tortured for two hours. The contents of his laptop were scrutinised and his two telephones were taken from him....
Dear friends, Yesterday the UK Justice Secretary laid out his plans for the draft defamation bill in the House of Commons. You can read it here. The Deputy Prime Minister, a strong supporter, also sets out his vision for the bill here. The...
Abbas Atilay, a journalist working for Radio Free Europe's Azerbaijani service, was reportedly attacked whilst covering Friday's protests in Baku. Demonstrators were demanding the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev and the release of journalists...
Fifty protesters were arrested whilst taking part in anti-government demonstrations in central Baku on Saturday. The protests in Fountain Square attracted 200 members of the opposition Musavat party, but they were soon dispersed by the police. The...
Two youth opposition activists, Sakhavan Soltanli and Rashadat Akhundov, were detained in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on Tuesday. On 4 March, youth activist and former parliamentary candidate, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, was detained and given a pre-trial...
Investigative reporting is a dangerous business in Azerbaijan. On the anniversary of Elmar Huseynov’s murder, Natasha Schmidt is among those gathered in Strasbourg to call for release of independent journalist Eynulla Fatullayev
Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards 2011: London, 24 March
On 14 February a journalist for the Azerbaijani newspaper Bizim yol was savagely attacked outside the President's residence. A policeman dressed in plain clothes attacked the journalist while he was recording protesters who had assembled near the...
Nobody sensible wants to abolish libel law, to allow a free-for-all in which reputations are impugned without a right to redress. It’s about balance and proportion, says
John Kampfner
Contempt of court laws have always been toothless, but the Internet and the smartphone have made it clear they are not fit for purpose, as demonstrated in the current “monstering” of murder suspect Chris Jefferies, says Brian Cathcart