CPJ TO HONOR EYNULLA FATULLAYEV

The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor courageous journalists from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Azerbaijan with its 2009 International Press Freedom Awards at a ceremony in November.

Imprisoned Editor-in-chief of “Gundalik Azerbaijan” and “Realniy Azerbaidjan” Newspapers Eynulla Fatullayev is among the awardees. “When Fatullayev’s friend and colleague Elmar Huseynov was murdered, the journalist set out to find his killer—and ended up facing more than eight years in prison,” it is said in the information released by CPJ.

“These journalists are being honored not only because they embody what CPJ stand for, but because they have fought against injustice to uphold the values of press freedom,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. “Imprisonment, harassment, and threat of death cannot deter these extraordinary journalists from continuing their work.”
Today, 25 September, is Eynulla Fatullayev’s birthday; however, the journalist is celebrating his 33rd birthday behind bars.  
Gundelik Azerbaijan" and "Realny Azerbaijan" newspapers' editor-in-chief Eynulla Fatullayev was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment on 21 April 2007 for insulting honor and dignity.  Later he was convicted under articles 214.1 (threatening terror), 283.2.2 (incitement of ethnic/national, social or religious hatred abusing authority), and 213.2.2 (tax evasion) of the Criminal Code and was sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment on 30 October 2007.