24 April 2008, 17:47
Human Rights Watch allocates grants to journalists convicted in Azerbaijan
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recognized the merits of three Azerbaijan journalists (Einullah Fatullaev, Sakit Zakhidov and Ganimat Zakhidov), subjected to political prosecution and arrest.
The press release of the Watch that arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent says that prosecution was a reaction to their desire to inform the society.
"We hope that our awards will help the convicts to inform others about their fate and will promote their immediate and unconditional release," said Holi Cartner, Director for European and Asian Programmes. The Helman-Hammeth Grants are annually awarded by the HRW to the authors subject to political prosecution for their work. This year, the grants will be awarded to 34 persons from 19 countries, including three Azerbaijanis (the sum of the grants is not reported).
All the three convicts are well-known for their criticism of the home and foreign policy of the Azerbaijani government.
Author: Rafael Gasanov, CK correspondent