21 February 2019, 22:59
Azerbaijani journalist Mustafa Gadjibeili subjected to suspended sentence
In Baku, the court sentenced Mustafa Gadjibeili, the editor-in-chief of the website "Bastainfo.com", to 5.5 years of suspended sentence with a two-year probation period. The journalist does not agree with the verdict and intends to continue his professional activities.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Azerbaijani authorities blocked the website "Bastainfo.com" headed by Mustafa Gadjibeili after the publication of articles about an assassination attempt against the head of Ganja. On November 30, 2018, Mustafa Gadjibeili was accused of public calls against the state, abuse of office, and forgery in office.
"My articles contained nothing illegal, no calls against the state. Moreover, the articles were reprinted from other media," noted Mustafa Gadjibeili.
"Given the fact that I got a disability during the war and I care about minors, public prosecutor suggested to pronounce a suspended sentence," added Mustafa Gadjibeili.
No reliable evidence of the Mustafa Gadjibeili's guilt has been presented, advocate Osman Kyazimov said.
"Witnesses who claimed being 'alarmed' by the articles published on the website 'Bastainfo.com' failed to mention specific expressions that 'alarmed' them," explained the advocate.
The journalist was sentenced for the articles actually reprinted by him, said Khalid Agaliev, a member of the Media Law Institute. He has noted that the media law exempts from responsibility for republishing articles if they have not been refuted.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 21, 2019 at 03:39 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: CK correspondent
