EMBATTLED AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST PLEADS NOT GUILTY

In his final address on March 6 at his trial at a Baku court, Qanimat Zaxid, editor of the opposition newspaper "Azadliq," rejected the charges against him of hooliganism and assault, zerkalo.az reported on March 7. He told the court: "We, the journalists of Azerbaijan, are trying to ensure that the journalistic principles that comply with international standards triumph. [In response], we are being killed, beaten up, and arrested on trumped-up charges for the sole reason that we try to tell the truth." The prosecutor has demanded a five-year jail term for Zaxid (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13 and 20, 2007 and February 21, 2008). LF

RFE/RL Newsline, Friday, March 7, 2008 Volume 12 Number 46