Anar Bayramli (; born )
is an Azerbaijani journalist for Iran's
Fars News Agency
The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an armed wing loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", it is widely descr ...
and
Sahar television station. In June 2012, an Azerbaijan court sentenced him to two years' imprisonment on a charge of drug possession. Bayramli's family and several human rights organizations have described the charges as politically motivated.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
designated him a
prisoner of conscience.
Arrest
Background
Bayramli's arrest came in a year of growing tension between Azerbaijan and Iran. Iran accused Azerbaijan of assisting in the assassination of nuclear scientists, and withdrew its ambassador following complaints by Iranian religious leaders over Azerbaijan's hosting of
Eurovision 2012. Both countries accused the other of interfering in their domestic affairs.
[ Azerbaijani authorities had recently criticized Sahar TV, for which Bayramli is a reporter, for "deliberately seeking to destabilize the country".][ Prior to the arrest, Bayramli had twice been brought to the police station for questioning. He later stated that the police officers pressured him to quit his job with Iranian media.][
]
The arrest itself
On 17 February 2012, he was again brought to the police station for questioning. After fifteen minutes of questioning, police searched his coat, which had been left unattended in a waiting room. They found a parcel which Bayramli stated he did not recognize containing 0.387 grams of heroin, and Bayramli was charged with drug possession.
Response
An Iranian embassy official denounced the charge, calling Bayramli "a devout, respectable person" and warning the arrest could worsen relations between the countries.
Several international human rights organizations have questioned the charges against Bayramli. Amnesty International described the charges against him as "politically motivated; trumped up by Azerbaijan’s secular authorities in order to silence their
coverage of religious issues". The organization designated him a prisoner of conscience and urged his immediate release.[ The ]Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...
called the charges "trumped-up", comparing the case to that of Eynulla Fatullayev
Eynulla Emin oglu Fatullayev ( az, Eynulla Fətullayev) (born 25 September 1976, Baku) is an Azerbaijani journalist and editor-in-chief of the independent Russian-language weekly ''Realny Azerbaijan'' and Azerbaijani-language daily ''Gündəli ...
and stating that "silencing government critics by planting drugs on them is a favored method of authorities in Azerbaijan." Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
called for an independent investigation into Bayramli's possible framing.[ In approving the decision to release imprisoned journalist ]Bakhtiyar Hajiyev
Bakhtiyar Ilyas oglu Hajiyev ( az, Bəxtiyar İlyas oğlu Hacıyev; born c. 1982) is an Azerbaijani activist and blogger who served a prison sentence from 2011 to 2012 on charges of evading military service. His imprisonment was protested by nume ...
on 4 June 2012, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
stated that it hoped Bayramli also would soon be freed.
See also
* Ramin Bayramov
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayramli, Anar
1981 births
Living people
Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani journalists
Azerbaijani prisoners and detainees