The working group established on December 18, 2015 to investigate the death of the late journalist and former IRFS chairman Rasim Aliyev, has held a meeting, attended by group members and journalists.
Group member, human rights defender Arzu Abdullayeva expressed her dissatisfaction with the course of the investigation and the ongoing trial related to Rasim Aliyev’s murder. She accused Baku City Prosecutor’s Office and Baku Grave Crimes Court of failing to conduct a complete investigation of the journalist’s death.
“There are doubts as to the impartiality of the trial, because committee members are not allowed into the courtroom. They fill the courtroom with people unrelated to the case, and then say that it is full,” said Abdullayeva.
Working group member and lawyer Alasgar Mammadli said there were problems with the case. “One issues is that to date it has not been determined whether the crime was committed at someone’s order. Another issue is that the doctors’ error has not been investigated. Despite the fact that Rasim Aliyev was brought to hospital in a serious condition, he did not receive any medical care beyond an intravenous infusion, which attests to medical negligence. The investigative agency has made a mistake by accepting the Health Ministry’s letter on absence of the doctors’ error, and consequently by failing to conduct any investigation. It needs to be determined whether or not medical negligence was the case with the participation of independent persons. The City Clinical Hospital #1, where Rasim Aliyev died, is affiliated to the Ministry of Health. You should not ask the Ministry of Health about possible errors by doctors affiliated with the Ministry of Health,” said Mammadli.
Fariz Namazli, the lawyer defending the rights of the late journalist’s family, reported that the Baku Grave Crimes Court has rejected their motion to prosecute the doctors who failed to provide necessary medical care to the journalist, and to increase the charges against Javid Huseynov, whom they consider the mastermind of the journalist’s murder.