Why is an Azeri Journalist being Persecuted in Georgia?

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.

Nino Bestavashvili