Azerbaijan will pay compensation for Azadlig newspaper

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on June 30, “Azadlig” newspaper and “Ganimat Zayidov To Azerbaijan against” announced his decision on the case.

Lawyer Khalid AgaliyevAccording to the ECtHR, the applicants’ right to freedom of expression was interfered with: “The moral damage caused to the applicant by the recognition of the violation compensation according to the court’s decision, the government will pay 1,500 euros to the lawyers of the applicants in connection with legal costs.

In this case, the applicants are “Azadlig” newspaper and the editor of that newspaper Ganimat Zayidov (Zahid) was

The lawyer says that complaint “President a civil suit filed against the petitioners for the article entitled “corrupt apparatus of his assistant”. court was related to his claims. In the said article Azerbaijan from the former aides of the former president Tariyel Agayevfrom, his relatives are mentioned.

T. Agayev sued the newspaper and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper stating that the information in the article was false and damaged his reputation. The local courts ruled in favor of the plaintiff on the basis that the defendants could not prove the truth of the information spread – for moral damages. newspaper He was fined 40,000 manats, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper was fined 25,000 manats. The higher courts rejected the applicants’ appeals against that decision.

The opposite party to the decision and Azerbaijan Court– It was not possible to get the opinion of the Legal Council.

Booty Zahid currently in exile. he 20In 07 imprisonment was done. Editor 20, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison for hooliganism10in the year pardon he was released by order.

“Azadlig” newspaper has stopped publication. Moreover, access to the newspaper’s website has been restricted from Azerbaijan.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty