An Azeri court on Wednesday sentenced an online sports writer and a website project head to one year and six month prison terms respectively, for allegedly “insulting” the president of a local football club and accusing him of “committing a grave crime,” the Baku-based media freedom organisation the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (IRFS) reported.
Natig Mukhtarli, a writer at the online sports portal ‘fanat.az’, and Zahir Azamat, the website’s chairman, were sentenced under Articles 147.2 and 148 of the Azeri penal code for “criticising the financial management and leadership decision making” of Mais Masimov, president of Khazar-Lankaran Football Club, in a series of articles published in July and August, IRFS Chairman Emin Huseynov told IPI through a spokesperson.
The court also ordered the journalists to pay Masimov 20% of their monthly salary for the duration of their imprisonment.
“Punishing journalists for practising their profession is wrong under any circumstances,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “The Azeri government must live up to its press freedom obligations as a member of the Council of Europe.”