Sources: ECHR, MLDI
According to the decision issued by
ECHR
on October 29, the Azerbaijan government “explicitly acknowledged the violation of applicant’s [Azadliq reporter Agil Khalil] rights indicated in his complaints.” Specifically, the Azerbaijani officials admitted violating his right to freedom of expression, right to life, and his right to freedom from ill-treatment.
The decision also stated that the Azerbaijan government agreed to pay Khalil compensation in “a total amount of EUR 25,000, including EUR 3,000 for costs and expenses.”
In February 2008, Khalil was attacked by agents from the Ministry of National Security while taking photographs for his investigative report. One month later, he was attacked by four men and stabbed in the chest.
The local authorities refused to investigate the first attack on the reporter. However, during the investigation of the stabbing case, the investigators forced him to admit that the stabber had been his alleged homosexual partner. According to Khalil’s statement, the investigators slapped and punched him and put a plastic bag on his head until he admitted that he had been stabbed by his alleged boyfriend. Khalil claimed that he never met that person and had never been in relationship with him. The investigators also threatened to hurt his family, and disseminate a video of his alleged lover admitting to the stabbing.
Harassment and persecution forced Khalil to flee to Europe, where he filed a case to the ECHR with the assistance of
MLDI
’s (Media Legal Defense Initiative) partner organization in Azerbaijan, the Media Rights Institute.
MLDI’s Legal Director Nani Jansen commented on the case: “This is a positive outcome for Khalil and I sincerely hope that Azerbaijan keeps to the promises it has made to the European Court. Azerbaijan has consistently violated the rights of journalists through harassment, violent attacks, surveillance, trumped up charges, and a distinct failure to properly secure the safety of journalists in the country. It is important that Azerbaijan takes proper responsibility for this and that it stops violating the rights of other journalists, in particular Khadija Ismaylova who has been imprisoned in blatant violation of her rights.”
