11 July 2007, 14:28
Chairman of the Azerbaijani Board of the Press has visited the arrested journalists
Aflatun Amashev, Chairman of the Board of the Press, has met the arrested journalists Mirza Sakit and Faramaz Allakhverdiev ("Nota Bene"). Mr Amashev himself has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it. He visited them intending to learn about their health and custody conditions.
Aflatun Amashev asked about the attitude of Mirza Sakit and Allakhverdiev to the address of the Board of the Press to President Ilham Aliev with a request to pardon the convicted journalists.
According to Mr Amashev, the journalists had supported the text of the address.
On that very day, Mr Amashev also met Mamedali Gartibov, Nizami Gadzhiev and Bairam Aliev, who had addressed the Board for the Press with a statement that they too were journalists, and asked to enter their names into the list of convicted journalists and raise the issue of their pardon.
Yesterday, Amashev also met Elshad Mekhtiev, editor of the "News-Press" newspaper, sentenced to seven years of imprisonment under Article 311 of the Criminal Code ("bribe-taking").
We note here that today in Azerbaijan seven journalists are in prison. The Council of Europe and other international organizations demand their immediate release.
Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent
