Imprisoned “Azadlig” satiric/journalist Sakit Zahidov’s lawyer Alaif Hasanov was called to the Garadag District Prosecutor’s Office.
Hasanov told the Institute for Reporterts’ Freedom and Safety he was called to the prosecutor’s office in connection with the alleged attempt to murder Zahidov in prison, and Sakit’s appeal to court regarding this. Hasanov stated that he will go to the prosecutor’s office in a few days. Hasanov doesn’t know when the investigation into this matter will begin because no statement was received from the court.
“No attempt was made to murder imprisoned ‘Azadlig’ Newspaper correspondent Sakit Zahidov in the prison # 14,” Head of the Justice Ministry’s Supervision Inspection on Execution of Punishments Malik Alakbarov told Radio Liberty. According to Alakbarov, this allegation is nothing more than a rumor. “Meetings have been held with both Sakit and the prisoner and what has been said was not confirmed. Sakit wants to be transferred to a diferent prison and has appealed to the Penitentiary Service’s leadership regarding this. His appeal is under consideration and apparently a decision will be adopted soon.”
Recall that on 19 August, during a meeting with lawyer Alaif Hasanov, S. Zahidov said that an attempt to murder him was prepared and that his life was in danger. The journalist, claiming that the prison leadership was behind the murder attempt, appealed to Garadag District Court. Sakit wants to be transferred to a different a prison.