18 July 2009, 22:00
Azerbaijan: killers of journalist Elmar Guseinov still unfound
On July 17, advocates of the freedom of speech in Azerbaijan commemorated Elmar Guseinov, editor-in-chief of the popular Azerbaijani "Monitor" magazine, who was shot dead by hired gunmen on March 2, 2005.
The unidentified killer sent seven bullets into Mr Guseinov; and this murder shocked the public of the country. On July 17, he would have been 42.
"By our tradition, all who respect the freedom of speech come on July 17 to the editor's tomb to express gratitude to Elmar," said Shakhbaz Khuduoglu, founder of the publishing house "Ganun".
Mr Khuduoglu has noted that "with every year, the team of independent journalists grows smaller, while the pressure on the freedom of speech grows stronger."
Dmitri Dorokhovskiy, who represented the US embassy, said that the States have always insisted on punishment of Elmar Guseinov's killers. According to his version, "the Azerbaijani authorities every time promise to solve the crime, but the case is still in deadlock."
Those who gathered at the tomb of Elmar expressed their protest against pressure on the freedom of speech in Azerbaijan and demanded to release bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Gadjizade and imprisoned journalists Ganimat Zakhid, Einullah Fatullaev and Mushvig Guseinov.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
