Novruzali Mammadov

Novruzəli Məmmədov ( * 1940, † August 17, 2009, also Novruzäli Mämmädov ) was an Azerbaijani journalist who campaigned for the rights of the minority people of the Talysh in Azerbaijan.

Activity

Novruzəli Məmmədov was himself a member of the people of the Talysh and published the newspaper Tolışi sədo ( German voice of the Talysh ) out. He also ran a talyschisches Cultural Center and worked at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Institute of Linguistics.

Arrest and conviction

On February 3, 2007 Məmmədov was arrested initially on charges of resisting state violence. On 24 June 2007, he and the co-editor of Talyschi Sado, Elman Quliyev, were accused of high treason and sentenced to long prison terms. Məmmədov should therefore incarcerated for 10 years in a prison of increased enforcement. He was accused of spying for Iran. His newspaper, whose appearance was canceled after his arrest, had been thus funded with money from the Iranian government.

International organizations such as the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization Məmmədov considered as political prisoners and saw his commitment to the minority of the Talysh as the true reason for his arrest and conviction. The Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg expressed on behalf of Europe's public criticism of the sentencing Məmmədovs. Representatives of intergovernmental organizations on site, such as the OSCE Office in Baku, campaigned for Məmmədov.

Death

On 27 July 2009 Məmmədov was transferred to a prison hospital. It was preceded by months of the disease, in which was denied Məmmədov According to human rights organizations, medical treatment. On 17 August 2009 Məmmədov died, according to official figures from a heart attack.

Family

Family members Məmmədovs were repeatedly subjected to state repression. His sons Emil and Kamran were repeatedly threatened, kidnapped and abused. Kamran Məmmədov died on September 8, 2007 of a heart attack. Emil Məmmədov 2008 was temporarily detained for alleged drug possession. Since the allegations but did not prove he was set free again.