The criminal proceedings in journalist Rafiq Taghi’s murder case has been suspended, Taghi’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov told the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) today.
According to the lawyer, he had received the notification of suspension from a senior investigator for especially important cases of the General Prosecutor’s Office for Serious Crimes.
“I believe the criminal proceedings have been suspended because of the failure to identify the perpetrator which is shown as one of the grounds for suspension in the Criminal Procedure Code. I have not read the decision yet. I should note that preliminary investigation has not been conducted in Taghi’s case. We even applied to the court over ineffectiveness of the investigation, but our suit was not granted. We will re-apply to the court as soon as we get a copy of the decision,” the lawyer added.
Background: Rafiq Taghi was attacked on November 19, 2011 while walking home from work. The unknown assailant stabbed him seven times. The journalist died in the hospital after 4-day treatment.