Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani government has come out against the critical response of the US and Norwegian embassies to the jail sentence of a newspaper editor handed down on Friday.
The editor-in-chief of opposition daily Azadlig Ganimat Zahid was sentenced to four years in prison by a Baku district court.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim said the strongly-worded statements issued by the diplomatic missions clearly indicated a double standard approach from the viewpoint of foreign policy.
"It is disappointing that the US and Norwegian embassies issue such statements," the spokesman told a press conference Tuesday. "We witnessed a mild and inadequate position of those states to the developments in neighboring Armenia. In this case, we do not understand and are disappointed with such a terse reaction to the developments that took place in Azerbaijan".
Zahid was arrested in Nov.2007 on charges of hooliganism. The apprehension was caused by an incident on Nov. 7 outside his editorial office. His argument with two persons had resulted in a fist fight.
The Norwegian embassy said in a statement that the journalist had been convicted for an incident "ostensibly unrelated to his work" and that the trial had failed to substantiate the charges brought against him. The embassy expressed concern about "the signals such a verdict sends to the free press" and encouraged the authorities to take every possible step to ensure Zahid's quick release.
The US embassy spokesman Johnatan Henick said the U.S. was concerned over the journalist's sentence and the potential irregularities committed during his trial. He said it was pivotal that journalists abide by the law, but using criminal charges to stifle their voices was a hurdle to human rights protection and democratic development.