MINELRES: Why is an Azeri Journalist being persecuted in Georgia?

[minelres@lists.microlink.lv]

Original sender: Ucha Nanuashvili <hridc@internet.ge>


www.HumanRights.ge 

Why is an Azeri Journalist being Persecuted in Georgia?

Niaz Husseinov, editor-in-chief of the Azeri magazine  �Yeni Dushenje�
(�New Thought�), human rights coordinator of the NGO �Georgian and Azeri
Journalists� and current political refugee, talks again of the
persecution of him and his brother by Georgian law-enforcement bodies
and accuses the Georgian special forces of using old Soviet pressure
tactics.  Husseinov says that the Government is exercising pressure on
him through his family.

Following the closure of the Georgian-Azeri magazine �Ieni Dushenji�
(�New Thought�), its editor-in-chief Niaz Husseinov is being persecuted
by law-enforcement bodies which have forced him to emigrate to
Azerbaijan. Husseinov compares this whole situation and the pressure
that has been put on him to the repression which existed under Stalin�s
regime and says that using old Soviet pressure tactics, Georgian law
enforcement bodies have arrested his brother, Hajar Husseinov. According
to Niaz, his brother was in fact taken hostage in order to force Niaz to
submit himself to the law-enforcement bodies.

The Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre covered the story
of the closure of the journal �Yeni Dushenje� and the persecution of
Husseinov�s family. Later, the situation �improved� so that Hajar was
charged with fraud (swindle) and he was sentenced to 5 years
imprisonment. However, recently his health condition has worsened and he
has been suffering from psychological trauma due to his time in prison.
According to Giorgi Tediashvili, Hajar Husseinov�s former attorney,
during his last visit to him in prison, Hajar�s mouth was sewed shut and
Tediashvili could not talk with him. Also, in spite of the fact that
Hajar�s health condition is worsening, he has been given no medical
treatment. 

Tediashvili says that the accusations made towards both Niaz and Hajar
Husseinov, including the charge of fraud, are false and are based on
false witnesses who are notorious for being real swindlers and have
testified in a number of other cases. 

According to Niaz Husseinov, the persecution of him and his brother by
the Georgian Special Forces is a political issue. The decision of the
Georgian Supreme Court to sentence his brother, who was the photo
correspondent for the magazine �Yeni Dushenje� to 5 years of
imprisonment, came as a shock to the Husseinov family. As former
editor-in chief, Niaz Husseinov cannot understand why his family is
being persecuted by the Georgian law-enforcement bodies. He wonders
whether it is because his brother was helping the Labour party, because
he refused to collaborate with the law-enforcement bodies, because he
has been one of the few Azeris who have managed to integrate into the
Georgian society, or because he was fighting for the freedom of speech
and press.

Hajar Husseinov, Azeri journalist and brother of Niaz Husseinov,
editor-in chief of the now closed down Azeri magazine �Yeni Dushenje� is
trying to prove his innocence from Baku and is asking human rights
organizations for help.

http://www.humanrights.ge/eng/stat112.shtml


Best wishes,

Ucha Nanuashvili
Executive Director

Human Rights Information and Documentation Center (HRIDC)
89/24 Agmashenebeli Ave., 12th floor
Tbilisi, 0102 Georgia
Tel./Fax: (+995 32) 95 10 03
Cell: (+995 99) 50 80 36
Email: hridc@hridc.org
Web: www.hridc.org

VISIT OUR ONLINE MAGAZINE AT
WWW.HUMANRIGHTS.GE

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