30 October 2007, 15:34
Journalist Fatullaev sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment in Azerbaijan
Einullah Fatullaev, founder and editor-in-chief of newspapers "Real Azerbaijan" and "Gyundelik Azerbaijan", has been sentenced to eight and a half years of imprisonment. The decision was passed by Judge Mekhti Asadov at the Court for Grave Crimes, where the process on Fatullaev's case has ended today.
His advocate Isakhan Ashurov has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the Judge has found Fatullaev guilty under all the three Articles of the Criminal Code: 214.1 (threat by terrorism), 213.2.2 (tax evasion) and 283.2.2 (kindling interethnic enmity), which had been presented to him by the prosecution.
Let us note here that the state prosecutor Chingiz Shukyurov insisted on 10 years of imprisonment for Fatullaev.
The "Caucasian Knot" has already informed that on October 29 journalist Einullah Fatullaev made his last plea at the Court for Grave Crimes, in which he compared Azerbaijani courts with those of the Nazis.
Advocate Isakhan Ashurov has stated that his client was sentenced for the second time for his articles. As he said, the Azerbaijani state is acting against the journalist. Despite the charges of a threat of terrorism against foreign embassies, no representatives of these institutions were interrogated by the court, while the interrogated employees of foreign companies did not touch on the topic of terrorism.
The advocate has interpreted the case as an attempt on the freedom of speech and asked the court to acquit Fatullaev and institute criminal prosecution against the inspectors who had investigated his case.
Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent
