President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, Rovnag Abdullayev, was interviewed by a correspondent of BBC Azerbaijan during his visit to London. When asked if any measures have been taken against the SOCAR employees who attacked journalist Idrak Abbasov, Abdullayev said that Abbasov was performing not journalistic activities but provocative actions when he was attacked. He accused Abbasov of being engaged in illegal real estate trading in Sulutepe settlement.
Rovnag Abdullayev’s comments were considered as blackmail and slander by journalist Idrak Abbasov: “He blackmails and insults me, and even accuses me of being engaged in illegal activities. As for evidence, I doubt they have any. If they really had any evidence against me, they would have exposed me long ago through government-controlled mass media”.
Idrak Abbasov was attacked by SOCAR security officers on April 18th 2012 in the village of Sulutepe, while he was filming a housing demolition and the confrontation between SOCAR employees and local residents, who were accused of illegal capture of SOCAR territories. The journalist was wearing a Press Jacket when he was assaulted. Abbasov was brutally beaten and sustained broken ribs, injuries to his eyes and kidney and head trauma.
The journalist has recently been operated for the trauma he had suffered as a result of the attack.