RWB condemns verdict to Zakhid's relatives

Rovshan and Rufat Zakhidov have been convicted for the journalistic activities abroad of their relative Ganimat Zakhid, the international organization to protect journalists "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB) has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ganimat Zakhid, who emigrated from Azerbaijan, is managing the newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom) and running the critical programme "The Azerbaijani Hour", broadcasted over the Internet. On June 28, his cousin Rovshan and nephew Rufat Zakhidov were sentenced to six years in prison on charges of drug possession.

Rovshan and Rufat Zakhidov convicted on "trumped-up charges of illegal possession of drugs, which are often used against critics of the government," the RWB has stated.

The statement recalls that prior Zakhidovs were convicted they had spent almost a year in the pre-trial detention.

This is not the first case, when "the authorities resort to legal, financial and other pressure on relatives of journalists and rights defenders, who had left the country," the statement stresses.

According to Johan Beer, the head of the RWB's division for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, "the international community must continue demanding restoration of pluralism and stopping despotism in Azerbaijan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.