Azerbaijan deports Iranian journalists
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 7 August 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Azerbaijan deports Iranian journalists, 7 August 2009, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4a82b732c.html [accessed 19 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 07, 2009
BAKU Iranian television producer Shaban Ali Keyvani and cameraman Masud Vaezi have been deported from Azerbaijan, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.
Police in the Caspian Sea port of Lankaran detained the two who work for the Iranian state television station Sahar on July 22 and charged them with violating migration rules.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ehsan Zahidov said the two overstayed their visas by seven days and were transferred to Azerbaijan's Migration Service.
Sahar TV representative Burhan Hikmeti told RFE/RL that the journalists did not violate any rules and added that their detention was illegal.
The Iranian Embassy confirmed that Keyvani and Vaezi were detained, but denied they are employees of Sahar TV.
Hikmeti said he is concerned by the deportation and stated that "the Azerbaijani government should not have done it."
Sahar TV broadcasts in the Azeri language to Azerbaijan, where it is fairly popular.
An estimated 25 percent of Iran's population is made up of ethnic Azeris, who face cultural and linguistic restrictions in Iran.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
