PEN International
PEN International is deeply concerned by the news that journalist and political analyst Arzu Geybullayeva is being subjected to a growing campaign of intimidation for working for the Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper Agos. Geybullayeva has faced an increasing number of threats on social media following an interview with the Azerbaijani news site modern.az. The interview has prompted a series of hostile articles in the Azerbaijani media targeting Geybullayeva for working with Armenians and accusing her of treason. Geybullayeva has worked with a number of non-profit organisations aimed at promoting dialogue and reconciliation between the Azeri and Armenian peoples. PEN International condemns the threats against Geybullayeva and calls on both the Turkish and Azerbaijani authorities to ensure her safety and to investigate all threats of violence made against her.
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Please send appeals immediately:
Condemning the campaign of intimidation directed at Arzu Geybullayeva for her legitimate work as a journalist at Agos;
Calling on the Turkish and Azerbaijani authorities to investigate any threats of violence against her and to ensure her safety;
Reminding them that they have the obligation to safeguard Geybullayeva’s right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which they are both state parties.
Appeals to:
Mr Ramil Usubov
Minister of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Azerbaijan
7 Husu Haliyev Street
Baku, Azerbaijan
AZ1001
Email: info@mia.gov.az
Mr Efkan Ala
Minister of Interior for the Republic of Turkey
T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı
Bakanlıklar
Ankara, Turkey
Email: efkan.ala@tbmm.gov.tr; ozelkalem@icisleri.gov.tr
Twitter: @efkanala
If possible, please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Azerbaijan and Turkey in your country and let us know of any actions you have taken and responses you receive.
***Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN International if sending appeals after 20 November 2014 ***
Background
A graduate of Ankara’s Bilkent University and the London School of Economics, Baku-born Geybullayeva has worked extensively on the Caucasus for a number of think tanks, research institutes, non-profit organisations and news outlets as a writer, journalist and regional analyst.
She has worked as a co-director at the ImagineCenter for Conflict Transformation, a non-profit organisation that promotes dialogue, cooperation and peace-building processes in conflict-torn societies including Armenia and Azerbaijan, and is the managing editor of the Neutral Zone, a platform for alternative voices from Armenia and Azerbaijan. She has written for Al Jazeera, Global Voices and the bilingual weekly Agos. She regularly writes for her English language blog, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines.
For further information please contact Alev Yaman at International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: alev.yaman@pen-interantional.org