On August 19th , 2011, the Baku Appeals Court heard the appeal filed against the July 13th ruling of Yasamal District Court on the lawsuit filed by businessman Anar Mammadov (son of the Transport Minister) against Azadlig and Yeni Musavat newspapers. Judge Elchin Gurbanov presided over the hearing.
BACKGROUND
The son of Transport Minister and businessman Anar Mammadov opened a libel lawsuit in December, citing personal humiliation and damage to his business reputation after the publication of two newspaper articles. Azadlig (“freedom”) newspaper published an article titled “Kamaladdin Heydarov’s bear eaten” on July 1st last year, which was reprinted by Yeni Musavat the following day. In September, Yeni Musavat printed another allegedly libelous article: “Sheikh drives Anar Mammadov out of Dubai”. Mammadov is demanding 250,000 AZN compensation from each newspaper. The reason the defendant side wants the lawsuit to be heard by Gabala Court is that the bear to which the article “Kamaladdin Heydarov’s bear eaten” refers was consumed in a resort center in Gabala.