President Aliyev, said he is going to closely follow up the murder of Rasim Aliyev. This is perhaps worst development because now that its president who is personally involved in the case, I fear, there wont be any justice.
On August 10, Aliyev's aid, Ali Hasanov said "Ilham Aliyev sees the death of the journalist as direct threat and intimidation to freedom of speech and information as well as free press".
Just for your information, President Aliyev promised to find the perpetrators when another journalist Elmar Huseynov was murdered in 2005 (just two years after Aliyev's election as the country's president). Then in 2011 when yet another journalist, Rafig Tagi died following fatal stabbing no progress was made into his case either.
I fear President Aliyev's hearty message is a signal of yet another murder case go down in history as mystery.
But if President Aliyev really wants to solve this mystery all he needs to do is let freedom of press, speech, and information really exist in Azerbaijan and independent journalist do their job without constant threats and beating from the police and thugs.
Or he should simply ask himself a very basic question - when was the last time he met with independent press and why one of the country's most prominent journalists while following her right to speech freedom and freedom of information is currently on trial. Or why, do we have journalists and bloggers in jail?
It is time to take responsibility for direct actions. Rasim's murder is the result of President and his aids' irresponsible way of ruling this country amid the atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and mafia like leadership.
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