Journalist Orkhan Rustamzade released from police in Baku
Today, the police have released the journalist Orkhan Rustamzade, who was detained earlier today in front of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, after verbally warning him.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a freelance journalist Rustamzade was detained, when he tried, from the roof of the building adjacent to the yard of the courthouse, to film the moment, when the journalist Khadija Ismayilova was taken out of the paddy.
Ismayilova is accused of bringing to a suicide attempts her former colleague Tural Mustafaev, who has publicly confessed that he had slandered Khadija. This case is combined with that of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship and abuse of power. Ismayilova faces up to 12 years in prison.
Orkhan Rustamzade stayed at the police station for three hours; he was released at about two in the afternoon; he himself told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.
"I was going to make filming from the roof of the building adjacent to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. I just set up my tripod, when about 10 policemen in uniform and in plain clothes appeared on the ground and demanded from me to go down. So I did and told them that I'm a journalist. They told me that 'we’ll clear it out at the police,' and detained me," said Orkhan Rustamzade.
According to his story, he was brought to the 22nd station of the Nasimi District Police Office of Baku. "There, they began asking me about my journalistic activities and the reasons for climbing up on the roof. I told them that as a journalist I have the right to gather, receive and spread information. As a result, they let me go after warning that 'this should never happen again'," said Rustamzade.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.