Recent Attack Has Independent Journalists, Civil Society Activists on Guard in Azerbaijan

The recent beating of an opposition journalist in Azerbaijan has dealt a severe blow to President Ilham Aliyev's efforts to improve the country's human rights image.

The incident involving Bahaddin Haziyev, editor-in-chief of the Bizim Yol newspaper, occurred late on May 19. According to the journalist, he was abducted by at least five individuals, who hauled him out of his car as he was driving home late at night. The kidnappers bundled him into another car and proceeded to beat him severely as they sped away. After a prolonged period, they left him along the banks of a lake roughly 12 miles outside the Azerbaijani capital. Before driving away, Haziyev's abductors drove over his legs.

Hours later, local residents found him and sought medical help. Speaking to journalists in a hospital room, Haziyev said there was no doubt in his mind that the attack was politically motivated. "They beat me and demanded that I should stop writing critical articles," he said. Bizim Yol is closely related to the opposition Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party, of which Haziyev serves as a deputy chairman.

Haziyev believes that the attack was likely retribution for stories published in Bizim Yol that cast government officials in an unfavorable light. For example, the edition published immediately prior to his kidnapping contained an article on caviar smuggling and the alleged involvement of a high-ranking officer of the Ministry of National Security. Haziyev also told journalists that his abductors expressed displeasure over newspaper articles that were supposedly critical of First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, even though the editor insisted "we wrote nothing insulting about her."

Police have uncovered evidence that confirms the basic details of Haziyev's harrowing tale. However, they have yet to take any suspects into custody. Fifteen days after the attack, Haziyev's state remains poor. Doctor's say he faces a lengthy rehabilitation process, in which he is likely to regain only limited use of his legs. Haziyev also told a EurasiaNet contributor on June 3 that he continues to suffer from respiratory troubles. "When I was kidnapped a plastic bag was put over my head and I remained in this state for several hours. Now I suffer pain in my heart and lungs," he said.

The incident has placed independent journalists and civil society activists on guard in Azerbaijan. The savage nature of the attack has prompted some to recall the March 2005 assassination of Elmar Huseynov, the editor-in-chief of Monitor magazine. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. That murder remains unsolved. The Popular Front's leader, Ali Kerimli, branded the Haziyev assault "terror at the state level."

The attack occurred only weeks after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took steps during a late April visit to Washington, DC, to improve the country's democratization image. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Both domestic and foreign observers said the attack against Haziyev would reinforce the widely held impression that the Azerbaijani government is intolerant of dissent.

Both the OSCE's Baku Office and the US Embassy to Azerbaijan issued statements condemning the Haziyev incident. "Despite declarations by the government about ensuring media freedom in Azerbaijan, journalists continue to face violence and harassment," said an OSCE statement issued by Ambassador Maurizio Pavesi, head of the organization's Baku office. "This particular case is even more serious because the victim is not only a prominent journalist, but also a well-known member of one of the leading opposition political parties in the country."

Meanwhile, Jonathan Henick, a US Embassy spokesman, expressed concern that "attacks on journalists undermine democratic development of Azerbaijan."

During Aliyev's recent visit to France, the Paris-based rights group, Reporters Without Borders, issued a statement that condemned the Azerbaijani government's media-related actions. "The most critical publications are being steadily silenced, while investigations into the murders of journalists grind to a halt, fostering a climate of impunity. You have denied independent journalists any guarantees by refusing to let the judicial authorities investigate those responsible for violence against them," the statement said. "Their safety is no longer assured in Azerbaijan."

Azerbaijani officials have denied any government role in the attack. Ali Hasanov, a presidential aide, said Aliyev had demanded that the perpetrators face justice. At the same time, other members of the governing elite appeared to suggest that Haziyev shared at least some responsibility for prompting the attack against him. In a May 23 report, the Trend news agency quoted Siyavush Novruzov, an MP and deputy executive secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, as deploring the attack against Haziyev. "However, journalist must know when to stop too," Novruzov suggested. "There are aspects that the mass media should not touch upon. One should think over every step. It is wrong to concern aspects that insult [an individual's] dignity."

Several months before the Haziyev attack, Fikret Huseynli, a journalist for the opposition Azadliq newspaper suffered severe injuries in a similar assault. Ganimat Zahidov, Azadliq's editor, told EurasiaNet that attacks against journalists who criticize the government are likely to continue, citing the climate of impunity.