| Elnur Majidli Azerbaijani: Elnur Məcidli |
|
|---|---|
| Journalist | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 May 1984 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR (now Azerbaijan) |
| Nationality | Azerbaijani |
Elnur Majidli - Azerbaijani Journalist, Blogger, Photographer and Podcaster in France.
Contents |
Elnur Majidli (Azerbaijani: Elnur Məcidli; was born in Baku) May 24, 1984 into a scholarly family of an educator mother and a journalist father. He started his primary education in school # 244 of Binagadi district, later continued his education in secondary school # 14 located in Nasimi district. In the grade six he was able to pass the examination held by CAG Education Company to enter Sumgait Private Turkish College (Sumgait city) and successfully completed his secondary education in this school.
In 2001 he received an education in Gazi University’s Instructor of English department, later he started his law degree in Galatasaray University and in 2005 he continued his law degree in Robert Schuman University (currently Strasbourg University) in France.
In 2011 he started a PHD program in International Law in Strasbourg University.
Elnur Majidli is founder of European Azerbaijanis For Democracy (EUROAD), which is a Non-Governmental Organization, established in 2010, based in Strasbourg, France and London, United Kingdom.
Apart from his native Azerbaijani, he speaks English, French, Russian, Turkish and Arabic .
As of March 2011, Elnur Majidli the only dissident in the world declared wanted by Interpol, facing 12 years of imprisonment charges for trying to initiate a state coup against the government with activism over the internet.
His first poems and articles were published in children’s journals and newspapers like Kirpi and Tumurcuq during his secondary school years. His career as a journalist has started as a correspondent for the ANS (Azerbaijan News Service) TV channel in Turkey in 2001.
From 2003 - 2005 he worked as a correspondent in Turkey and France for Assa-Irada News Agency, while working for the of world news department of Azernews editorial office published in English and Azerbaijani.
From 2005- 2006 he continued his career as a correspondent in Europe for Lider TV Channel of Media Holding network.
From 2006-2007 he was employed as a correspondent for Trend News Agency in France.
From 2007 he contributed to BBC World Service as a journalist and currently is continuing his collaboration.
In 2008 he worked under the contract with Ihlas News Agency, newspaper Turkey and the TGRT (Turkish TV channel).
At the same time, he is an accredited journalist in the international institutions like Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, Senate of France (French Senate), UNESCO, European Parliament, and Élysée Palace (French Presidents Office).
From 2001 many of his analytical articles, concerning subjects like foreign policy and state reality, were published in the newspapers Azerbaijan, Ayna, Xalq, Alma, Musavat and AzerNews.
He participated in various international training conferences and certificate programs for the development and progress of the media.
In 2010 many of his editorials were published in the Azadlig newspaper.
After 2004 he started working as an online blogger and posted hundreds of blogs on the political and social realities of Azerbaijan.
In 2008 he created a website sozunduzu.com with daily average of 2000 readers. Initially, this website was blocked by internal providers, later it was exposed to the countless attacks by hackers.
In 2009 the servers of websites adnanemin.com and sozunduzu.com that he created, following the imprisonment of Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, were targeted by hacker attacks. As a result of these assaults, sozunduzu.com was irreversibly damaged; however, adnanemin.com was able to be restored.
Since 2006 his various writings are being published in foreign and international news portals.
Since 2006 he is working as an interpreter in CLAPEST Company in France translating from Russian-French, French-Russian, Turkish-French and French-Turkish.
Since 2009, originally he started working as an interpreter for AEFTI in Strasbourg, later he continued his employment for the company Formabilis, translating from Russian-French, French-Russian, Turkish-French and French-Turkish languages.
He started his vigorous social activism when he was getting an education in Turkey. He actively participated in founding events concerning the social and political issues of Azerbaijani in Ankara, the capital of Turkey and in Istanbul.
Within the university, he became a member of International Law and Diplomacy clubs and in Galatasaray University he has been one of the founders of international conferences that included participants of Turkish and other foreign government authorities.
In 2003 he received a position in the group to represent Turkey in the United Nations’ International Youth Forum, taking place in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.
From 2003-2006 he participating in training programs created by European Union Youth Center. In 2007 he established Azerbaijani Students Forum (StrasForum) in Strasbourg and became a chief coordinator of Forum of Azerbaijani Students in Europe (FASE) in France.
In March 2007 he became creator of Azerbaijani Students Forum, the first forum in the history of European Union belonging to one nation.
In the first week of 2007, Elnur Majidli organized a summer forum taking place in Germany’s Loffingen district dedicated to lobbyism of Azerbaijanis in Europe. This was also the first summer camp for the Azerbaijani youth abroad, especially in Europe.
In February 2008 he became a coordinator of French Senate’s Forum of FASE in Paris. In this forum he was remembered by his critical ideas in front of the French senator, Azerbaijani minister and other official representatives.
In 2009 he established Azerbaijani Network in France (ANFR) that currently holds more than 300 members.
In May 2010 he became a coordinator of the forum dedicated to the 82nd anniversary of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) in European Union’s European Forum of Azerbaijani Citizens.
He is an author of poems in various genres of Turkish and Azerbaijani languages. Furthermore, he is an author of Kalpten Kaleme (From Heart to Pen) collection of poems in Turkish language.
He was an active participant of multiple rallies organized by various apposition parties after the 2003 Presidential Election and 2005 Parliamentary elections.
In 2008 Presidential Elections, he strongly apposed the obvious fraud in the elections and the changes to the constitution of Azerbaijan and he, for the first time, organized protests with Azerbaijanis abroad against the Azerbaijani government.
In 2009 in his satirical prose “Mono Xiyar” ('Mono Cucumber,' wordplay on monarchy), he strongly criticized the changes made to the constitution that permitted the president to be elected for more than two terms and the referendum of March 17 involving these changes that transformed the republican tradition into a monarchy.
In March 7 of 2009, due to his satirical prose “Mono Xiyar,” he was held and questioned at the airport for 4 hours by the employees of MTN (Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan, former KGB) while arriving in Baku.
In 2009 he participated in protests organized by the youth against the May 10th Flower Parade dedicated to the Heydar Aliyev’s birthday.
In November 2010 he was a single candidate representing the union of Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) and Musavat party in the city of Barda constituency # 94 of in the Parliamentary Elections.
In 2010 after the parliamentary elections he brought together political refugees and democratic opposition forces and established the Azerbaijanis in Europe for Democracy (EUROAD) organization.
In 2011 he called for Azerbaijani youth to mass protests, following the revolutions sparking in the Arab countries. He founded the March 11th Boyuk Xalq Gunu (Great Nation Day) campaign on Facebook.
Moreover, he is a creator of April 2- Boyuk Qezeb Gunu (Great Fury Day) campaign and the author of April 8- Boyuk Cume Gunu (Great Friday), April 17 Boyuk Birlik Gunu (Great Unity Day), May 10- Boyuk Qullar Gunu (Great Slaves’ Day), May 28- Boyuk Respublika Gunu (Great Republic Day) web exposés.
Due to his founding of Facebook pages and his writings in his blog, Republic of Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office with Grave Crimes Investigations Department has opened a criminal case against him based on the Article #281 of Criminal Code.
During the 2010 Parliament Elections, as he returned from France to Azerbaijan, he presented his candidacy in representing APFP-Musavat party block in the city of Barda constituency # 94 in the Parliamentary Elections.
In the Barda city constituency # 94 he was asked to present his candidacy as an independent instead of representing APFP-Musavat block by the elections committee.
When Elnur Majidli refused to accept this offer and insisted on representing the block, he was subjected to political pressures by the Barda city executive power and other local, executive bodies and government agencies.
His registration as a candidate representing APFP-Musavat block and his papers for obtaining signatures were delayed by the Central Elections Commission without presenting any type of reason.
On September 28 of 2010, after an official complain to National Electoral Committee and regional elections observation mission of OSCE, he was able to be registered.
After he was registered, during the period of collecting the signatures, the local executive bodies strengthened their pressures and took him under the police watch.
A black campaign of rumors was spread against the candidate by the Barda city executive bodies, stating that he is conjoint with Armenian forces in Europe.
They tried to force Elnur Majidli to withdraw his candidacy by pressuring his relatives that live in the Barda city.
On the morning of September 30, the father of the candidate Abdulla Majidov and his cousin Akif Mamedov were called to the executive office of the city by the first secretary of the commanding judge Mazahir Gasimov and were strictly warned.
Mazahir Gasimov, threatened Akif Mamedov, the businessman dealing with the manufacturing and trade of construction materials, with closing his workplace if Elnur Majidli doesn’t withdraw his candidacy.
On October 1, Akif Mamedov was called once again to the Barda city police station by the instruction of Mazahir Gasimov and was firmly warned.
The chief of the police put numerous police officers around the workplace of Akif Mamedov and threatened that in case Elnur Majidli doesn’t withdraw his candidacy, it will take 5–10 minutes for his job to be closed and for his own arrest.
The Chief of Police, Guliyev, also threatened Akif Mamedov with destroying his workplace and firing his children from their jobs if Elnur Majidli obtains the papers to collect signatures.
After this despotic meeting Akif Mammedov and other relatives come together.
As Elnur Majidli witnesses strengthening pressures put on his relative Akif Mamedov and various pressures put on his other relatives, he decides to delay the acquiring of the signature sheets for a day.
2 October – 3 October – As Elnur Majidli sees his relatives under intense pressure and under police watch, he decides to return to Baku for a brief period to meet with the block that he represents for an advice on how to deal with the pressures on his relatives.
In Baku he meets with APFP-Musavat block’s elections staff, international organizations and the Chairman of APFP Ali Karimli, in regards pressures put on him and his relatives.
The final decision of all the meetings is not to give in to the pressures and even in the case of the strongest pressures on his relatives to continue his candidacy.
It was especially mentioned that neither Elnur Majidli should feel responsible for the relatives, nor relatives for Elnur Majidli.
October 4 – On Monday morning, as Elnur Majidli returns to Barda city with his authorized representative, he receives a phone call from the chairman of Central Elections Committee of Barda city constituency # 94, Asif Huseynov, to check if the candidate has obtained the papers for collecting signatures.
Although Elnur Majidli affirms that he will be at the elections center in 5 minutes to obtain his signature sheets, when he arrives it becomes clear that the Chairman Asif Huseynov has left in a hurried fashion.
A short while later, the relative of the young candidate who has received stern pressures, Akif Mammedov and his son Anar Jalilov come to Barda City’s Constituency # 94.
As Akif Mammedov saw the concerned condition of Elnur Majidli and his authorized representative, his father, he calmly tried to reassure them that he is not facing any more pressures.
Later, Akif Mammedov calls the chairman of Central Elections Committee to inform him of their lengthy wait to receive the signature papers.
A short while after the call Asif Huseynov comes to the Central Elections Center and calls the candidate’s authorized representative to his room in order to give him the papers.
As the candidate's father and his authorized representative, Abdulla Mecidov signs the protocol to receive the signature sheets, Akif Mammedov gives 12 signature sheets to his son, who, while hiding them in his jacket hurriedly runs through the hallway into the street and drives away. A while later it becomes clear that Anar Jalilov has stolen the signature sheets. At this time,. his father Akif Mamedov insistingly asks Elnur Majidli to withdraw his candidacy.
It becomes obvious from Akif Mamedov that the hijacking of the signature sheets was by the instructions of Mezahir Gasimov and Asif Huseynov, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee was also involved in this game. These talks are recorded by the candidate as evidence. After this event, Elnur Majidli gets into a strong argument with Akif Mamedov and breaks all ties with his family.
In order to find the hijacked sheets, Elnur Majidli appealed to the National Electoral Committee and law enforcement bodies, thus, towards the end of the day he was able to receive new sheets to collect the signatures.
Later, it is known that when the chairman of Central Elections Committee of Barda city constituency # 94 Asif Huseynov gave the information to the National Electoral Committee, he reported that the signature sheets were torn on the grounds of jealousy.
However, Abdulla Majidov, the authorized representative of Elnur Majidli, noted in the protocol when the new signature sheets were being prepared, that the signature sheets were in fact stolen. At the end of the tiring day, finally, the campaign to collect the signatures starts.
October 5 – The campaign to gather signatures continue until morning. At this time more pressures launch against the representatives who collect the signatures and against the residents of the town that gave out their signatures.
In the town where most of the relatives of Elnur Majidli live, the area attorney named Siyavus and a black Jeep 90 PV starts following and watching the representatives who collect the signatures.
Later, Barda city police, without sufficient reason, tows the car of the representative who collected signatures for Elnur Majidli.
At the same time, executive representative of khasili town pressures the individuals who collected signatures for the candidate.
Shahin Bakhishov not only pressured Khalig, a resident of Khasili town, who helped to collect signatures for the candidate but also tried to tear the collected signatures.
Furthermore, the executive representative who called the area lawyer also didn’t allow Xaliq to leave his house and threatened him with confiscating his land.
Shahin Bakhishov forced Khalig to illegally erase 24 signatures out of 37 through pressuring his father and the residents who gave their signatures.
In other towns also, there were numerous pressures against the individuals who collected signatures for Elnur Majidli.
October 6 – in the campaign to collect signatures, pressures against relatives of the candidate, the people who were collecting the signatures and the residents who gave their signatures, further strengthened.
In order to escape prosecution of the local police and executive representatives, the candidate and the individuals who collected signatures for him tried different methods.
Towards the end of the day, as the pressures against the relatives of the candidate increased, he was forced to leave the Barda city for Mingachevir for a night.
October 7 – the campaign to collect the signatures continued under numerous pressures and was completed with great difficulty. All together with the 24 signatures that was crossed off by the executive representative Shahin Bakhishov, 648 signatures were collected in the case of 8 groups.
In the same day, pressures took a different form. On October 5, the black Jeep 90 PV that was following the individuals collecting signatures forcefully brought the residents who gave their signatures into town’s executive office and executive representative Yasar Yusifov pressured those residents to withdraw their signatures.
The similar events took place in the towns Mollaisalar, Mollamemmedli and Serkarlar where most of the relatives of Elnur Majidli live.
The executive representative of Gulgazli town pressured the residents of the town to hold a picket against Elnur Majidli.
The residents of the town confirmed that Yashar Yusifov went into the executive office of the city before starting his pressure campaign.
October 8 – Elnur Majidli and his official representative were forced to wait for the chairman of Central Elections Committee for 3 hours in order to present him with the collected signatures.
After numerous appeals to the National Electoral Committee and other official bodies, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee finally arrived to accept the signature sheets.
October 9–10 – Local executive representative, Habil Shirinov launched similar pressures in another town where many of Elnur Majidli’s relatives live. As Habil Shirinov threatened the residents of the town, he demanded that they write a claim to cancel the given signatures. Furthermore, he threatened the resident farmers that did not withdraw their signatures with confiscating their lands and dismantling their farms.
October 8–12 – The similar pressures were conducted towards the other residents of the town and the withdrawal of their signatures was demanded.
October 13 – Asif Huseynov, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee of Barda city elections office rejects the registration of Elnur Majidli’s candidacy.
Later, without presenting any reason National Electoral Committee Appeals court, as well as the Supreme Court refuses to restore the rights of the candidate.
During all these processes, the mentioned agencies allows falsifications and counterfeiting in their documentations.
Currently, Elnur Majidli sued the Azerbaijani government in the European Human Rights court, for not being registered as a candidate for elections without any legal reasoning, and for not having his right restored and protected in Azerbaijani courts.
After the parliamentary elections, as Elnur Majidli successfully returns to France and in order to fight more effectively, he gathers Azerbaijani migrants, immigrants and apposition members under one umbrella and creates an organization called European Azerbaijanis for Democracy (EUROAD) in November 2010.
As Elnur Majidli arranged meetings with Azerbaijani immigrants, he tried to speed up the process of effectively organizing.
He created Great People’s Day page, as a result of the revolutions ignited by Arab countries, and called for a mass protest to resist the corruption in education, health and other problematic areas, starting January 2011. More than 45 thousands people were invited to this page. At the time of the protest of March 11, pressures against the family of Elnur Majidli has increased.
Furthermore, home and mobile phones of the family members were tapped, while currently this continues.
At this period, the mother of Elnur Majidli was called into her job on a non working day and was questioned by the members of the executive governance of Xatai district and by the members of Ministry of National Security (the former KGB).
His mother was told that he is conjoint with Armenian forces and was threatened with being released from her job.
Immediately after this, the family of Elnur Majidli discovered that their apartment is being watched and controlled by the police.
At the same time, his father, Abdulla Majidov, who was working for the press service of Caspian Sea Maritime Company, received warnings by his supervisor Aydin Basirov, due to the socio-political activism of his son.
Moreover, he was subjected to a black PR by the television and press that follows the interests of the government that released numerous plots and articles with a theme that he is working with Armenian forces and cooperating with other foreign bodies.
At the time of the protest of March 11 he received 5 threatening calls and as a result of an inspection it was concluded that 3 of these calls were made via internet and 2 of them were made from the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.
In one of these calls, an individual who identified himself as an employee of the Prosecutor’s Office, accused Elnur Majidli with initiating a state coup and reported that in the near future he will be detained and arrested.
The same individual threatened, in his second call, that a search warrant throughout Interpol was already drafted for him and in a short period of time, he will be arrested and surrendered to Azerbaijan.
In other phone calls and messages, simultaneously with indecent language, he received death threats, was given an example of Fakhraddin Hajibeyli, immigrant journalist in Berlin, who was beaten by the order of the Azerbaijani government saying that “We beat up Fakhraddin Hajibeyli, but we will kill you,” “A grave is the place of a person who is against an Aliyev,” “We will make you disappear so that you won’t even have grave stone.”
At the same period, a paper was dropped into the mailbox of Elnur Majidli saying “Your death has come.”
As the threats increased Elnur Majidli was forced to change his home address in Strasbourg and move to a new place. At the same time, he contacted the French police, informed them that his life is in danger and requested their assistance.
The French police and the French Security Service continues the investigation of the threats received by Elnur Majidli.
Regardless of the pressures and pre-arrests of the active youth, the Great People’s Day protest of March 11 was successful. On the day of the protest of March 11, 25 members of the youth was arrested.
However, on the protest of March 12 organized by Musavat Party and supported by the youth, more than 100 people were arrested.
After the creation of the Day of Rage's page of April 2 as a continuation of the protest of March 11 pressures against the family and relatives of Elnur Majidli dramatically increased.
On April 1, 2011 especial police group in civilian outfits carried out an operation in the apartment of the family of Elnur Majidli. As the police group tried to break down the door of the apartment they claimed to be an anti terrorist operational group.
During the time of the intrusion, the mother of Elnur Majidli, Shukufa Safarova, was alone at home and the police officers claimed to want to look for the documents and information relating to Elnur Majidli. The head of the operation was colonel named Elkhan Suleymanli.
On the same day, as the father of Elnur Majidli, Abdulla Majidov returned home, he was taken away to an unknown direction by the police in civilian outfits. Due to the fact that the phone of Abdulla Majidov was turned off, it was impossible to create any type of contact with him.
Later, as the police officers came to the apartment they informed that Abdulla Majidov is in the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The father of Elnur Majidli stayed in the Bureau of Investigations for nearly 8 hours and was released at 2 am.
At the Bureau of Investigations, Abdulla Majidov was asked about the socio-political activism of Elnur Majidli and was questioned about his blogs.
Azer Amirov, Orkhan Damirli and an agent named Parviz participated at the questioning. On April 1, 2011, together with the father of Elnur Majidli, his cousins Ali Majidov and Khalid Majidov, were also called for questioning into the Bureau of Investigations.
On the same day, the relatives of Elnur Majidli who live in the Barda and Bilasuvar districts were questioned by the members of the prosecutor’s office that arrived from Baku.
Furthermore, the houses of the relatives of Elnur Mejidli in Barda and Bilasuvar were also attacked by the police and the relatives were questioned on the closeness of their relationship with Elnur Majidli.
On April 2, the cousin of Elnur Majidli, Mahammad Majidli was arrested for two months with fabricated accusations and later the judge refused his appeal and extended his sentence for two more months. Recently, on July, 2011 his arrest was extended further for two more months, making his imprisonment for 6 months.
On April 4 Abdulla Majidov, the father of Elnur Majidli was fired from his job at Caspian Sea Maritime Administration.
On the same date, his brother, Nijat Majidli, was dismissed from his job as a leading specialist at Ministry of Economic Development.
Currently, as he continues his studies in South Korea, he was threatened with an arrest, therefore, his family does not wish his return to Azerbaijan.
As a result of these events, the mother of Elnur Majidli, suffers from a high blood pressure and psychological tiredness.
However, the doctor of the hospital where the family is registered refuses to treat, the mother and the father of Elnur Majidli and to give paper with proof of illness, due to the pressures towards her.
Currently, all of the phone calls to the family of Elnur Majidli is being recorded and listened while the relatives and neighbors cut off all the ties with the family and keep them isolated. By dismissing the members of his family from their jobs and leaving them in a financial struggle, the moral pressure towards Elnur Majidli continues.
Bureau of Investigation of Grave Crimes linked to the General Prosecutor’s Office has started a criminal case against Elnur Majidli that seeks 12 years of prison in his arrest.
The charge that Elnur Majidli faces in the Article 281 is as follows:
Article 281: Open calls against the government.
281.1. A violent capture of the government, violent change of constitutional order, forceful seize and holding of the governmental power and call for destruction of the territorial integrity of the government - spreading this type of materials will result in 5 years in prison.
281.2. If the same actions were repeated or conducted by a group of individuals- will be punished with imprisonment for 5– 8 years.
281.3. If the actions in the Articles 281.1 and 281.2 are committed with the affiliation or help of foreign organizations or their members, then the individual will be deprived of his liberty from 7 years to 12 years.
Therefore, the criminal case opened for Elnur Majidli does not have any legal base other than being related to his activities on the internet and his blogs.
By opening a criminal case against Elnur Majidli with this type of heavy accusations, Azerbaijani government seeks to scare independent minded youth who study abroad.
To this day, it was noted that 54 people were called into the Bureau of Investigations regarding the criminal case opened on Elnur Majidli, although this number could be more. Among the people who were called for questioning are chairmen of the opposition parties, and well known public figures like Isa Gambar, Ali Karimli, Erkin Gadirli, Ganimat Zahid and others.
We are presenting some of the individuals who were called for questioning:
1. Isa Gambar – The Chairman of the Musavat Party 2. Ali Karimli – The Chairman of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party 3. Gubad Ibadoglu – Functioner of the Musavat Party and an economist 4. Erkin Gadirli – Lawyer 5. Ganimat Zahid – Chief Editor of Azaqliq Newspaper 6. Emin Milli – Youth Activist, Blogger (released from prison but in house arrest) 7. Ramin Hajili – Chairman of the Youth Organization of Azerbaijan Democratic Reforms Party 8. Abulfaz Gurbanli – Chairman of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party Youth Organization 9. Natig Jafarli – Board of Directors member of Real, and an economist 10. Natig Adilov – Azerbaijan Popular Front Party's press secretary, Columnist for Azadliq Newspaper 11. Elmin Hasanli – Correspondent for Azadliq Newspaper 12. Parviz Hashimli – Director of the Center for Political and International Human Rights Defence 13. Samir Asadli – Member of a Political Council of Civil Solidarity Party 14. Sakhavat Soltanli – Deputy Chairman of Musavat Party Youth Organization 15. Zaur Akbar – Chairman of Youth Club of Public Association 16. Fuad Hajiyev – Youth Activist, Member of NIDA Youth Movement 17. Vüsal Bacar – Member of a Dalga Youth Movement 18. Farid Zulfugarov – Classmate of Elnur Majidli 19. Ali Majidov– Columnist in Zaman Newspaper
On April 14, 2011, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan confirmed a call to Interpol for the search of Elnur Majidli.
Although Azerbaijan called for Interpol to extredite Elnur Majidli, the organization did not accept appeal.
In order to substantiate their claim against Elnur Majidli, Azerbaijani government needed to present court decisions, claims of witnesses and other related documents.
Only after these types of documents are presented and the claims in these documents are confirmed, any type of a process could start.
If this type of a process were to start, Elnur Majidli would be called to the central office by the Interpol and officially questioned.
At the same time, Elnur Majidli holds the right to appeal to the French court against the extredation, taking into consideration all the possibilities.
If all these processes were to happen, the final decision would be held by the French court. However, at this stage, the development of this process is not real.
Elnur Majidli has met with numerous officials about the criminal case opened against him in European Council, the chief secretary of the European Council Thojborn Jagland, the Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg, the chief of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mevlut Cavusoglu, Political Reporter for Azerbaijan Christoph Strässer, and other officials.
During the visit to Azerbaijan, the Chief of PACE Mevlut Cavusoglu talked with the president Ilham Aliyev, about the pressures against Elnur Majidli.
The General Prosecutor’s Office refuses to recognize Rashid Hajili and Elchin Sadigov, the lawyers of Elnur Majidli, due to the fact that he is not in Azerbaijan.
Elnur Majidli gave interviews to Al Jazeera and ARTE channels, Radio France, Reuters, AFP and other media networks about the criminal case that is opened against him.
In the documentary on Azerbaijan that will be released in September, Al Jazeera channel dedicated a portion of the documentary to the case of Elnur Majidli.
Elnur Majidli is the only dissident in the world accused of trying to initiate a coup against the government and threatened with a 12 year imprisonment for his activism over the Internet.
Elnur Majidli is writing a column in the Yeni Musavat newspaper, since June 2011.