Azerbaijan jails journalist for five years for hooliganism
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 29 January 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Azerbaijan jails journalist for five years for hooliganism, 29 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54e1a46d6.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| 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. |
January 29, 2015
By RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service
A journalist in Azerbaijan has been convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to five years in prison.
The Absheron district court handed down the sentence against Seymur Hezi on January 29.
Hezi is a journalist with the opposition newspaper Azadliq, a television anchor, and a member of the opposition Popular Front Party.
He has been held in jail since August on hooliganism charges.
His father, Mesgul Heziyev, said the court "simply carried out a politically motivated order."
Defense lawyer Adyl Ismailov said the verdict would be appealed.
Hezi was abducted and beaten by unidentified assailants in 2011. His captors warned him to end his opposition activities.
In its annual report published on January 29, Human Rights Watch says the Azerbaijani government "escalated repression" against its critics last year, "marking a dramatic deterioration in its already poor rights record."
It says Azerbaijani authorities convicted or imprisoned at least 33 human rights defenders, political and civil activists, journalists, and bloggers on politically motivated charges.
With reporting by Reuters
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