Azeri editor warned over reports on army affairs

The editor of an Azerbaijan opposition website has received a warning from the Prosecutor-General's Office regarding its reporting on army affairs, Turan news agency reported on 23 May.


Mustafa Hacibayli of the bastainfo.com news website was summoned to Prosecutor-General's Office where he received an official warning, the news agency said.


"The Prosecutor-General's Office is concerned about reports about army problems: soldier deaths, officers detained for spying for Armenia and other reports on the topic posted on our website," Hacibayli was quoted as saying.


The deputy prosecutor-general described these reports as divulging state secrets, the editor said.


Deputy Prosecutor-General Rustam Usubov said that the website must not publish unverified reports since the investigation into the army spy cell case is still ongoing, Bastainfo.com said on 23 May. The editor had to sign a paper which says that army-related reports are prohibited and that only reports referring to official sources are allowed, the report noted.


Bastainfo.com republished a report on 20 May from the website of the opposition online Meydan TV, which alleged that the dead bodies of three army officers were recently given to their families. The report said that the three were accused of high treason.

www.anews.az