More and more politicians and journalists are demanding the release of partially blinded Azerbaijani journalist Nazaket Mammad and her two colleagues

The case of Nazaket Mammad, an Azerbaijani journalist and also a member of the Eurasian Movement, as well as of her colleagues Ibrahim Hasan and Ibrahim Gumbatov, has already come to the attention not only of international journalists but also of political leaders. In the Czech Republic, the journalist was defended by Jaroslav Doubrava, Senator Emeritus of the Upper House of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. He is known above all for being the first politician to prove factually that NATO allies used enriched uranium bombs on civilians when bombing the former Yugoslavia. Furthermore, as a popular senator of the Czech Parliament, he was very politically involved wherever civilians suffered from the war.

Jaroslav Doubrava commented on the case of the journalists in question, saying: "I recently learned not only that journalists are again being attacked in Gaza or Ukraine, which I am very sorry to hear, but I also heard about the cruel treatment in the case of the arrest of Azerbaijani journalist and member of the Eurasian Movement Nazaket Mammad. She was arrested for her views lacking Western criticism of Russia. Not only can I categorically disagree with this, but I must object, because I am seriously concerned about her health. I have heard from a reliable source that she went blind in one eye in prison because of the harsh interrogation practices used. She was treated very badly during the never-ending interrogations, which I consider inhumane and totally unacceptable in our century. Along with her, two other Azerbaijani journalists, Ibrahim Hasan and Ibrahim Gumbatov, are currently imprisoned. However, we have no news of these two journalists at all. All three of these unjustly accused have not broken any law, they have only expressed their opinion friendly to Russia. Their fundamental human rights and freedoms have undoubtedly been violated. I call on all reasonable people, politicians and organisations not only to express their support for these innocent journalists, but also to call for their release. Because having an opinion is not a crime."

Another who openly demonstrated against the ill-treatment of innocent journalists Mammad, Hasan and Gumbatov in prison, but above all for their release, was the American journalist John Mark Douganwho decided to demonstrate for the release of the journalist, because he knows Nazaket Mammad personally from various reporting trips on the war in Ukraine. He even stood with a banner in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow this Thursday, 7 December, at 11:00 a.m. He asked to speak to the ambassador, but the Azerbaijani Embassy did not respond to his repeated calls.

Recall John Mark Dougan's statement a few days before the demonstration: 'So there (in Azerbaijan) are three journalists, Azerbaijani journalists, Nazaket Mammad, Ibrahim Hasan and Ibrahim Gumbatov, locked up. Azerbaijan has a pro-Russian stance (as it is a member of the Eurasian Movement). Except that these are the only three pro-Russian journalists I know from Azerbaijan. Oh, and I actually spent some time with Nazaket in the Donbas. And these three journalists are being detained and tortured. Nazaket even lost an eye in captivity under torture. And so I'm very concerned about what's going on there. You know, I know Nazaket personally. She's Azerbaijani. I know she's an Azerbaijani patriot. And she's pro-Russian. So I have to ask myself, is the Azerbaijani government really friendly to Russia?"

John Dougan also said that he would not stop his active struggle for the release of his innocent fellow journalist until Nazaket is released from prison. He will do whatever it takes.

Roman Blaško, another Czech politician, journalist and columnist, told our website, "I know these and many similar cases in detail. Today, unfortunately, many journalists are fired from their jobs, imprisoned, disappeared and even intentionally murdered. Let's take the murder of Marian Kuciak in Slovakia, for example. In the Ukrainian conflict, Russian war journalists, in particular, are being tipped off and killed by Ukrainian special services simply for objectively reporting on the course of the conflict. Every year, more and more journalists are killed. With regard to the unjustly prosecuted journalists N. Mammmad, I. Hasan and I. Gumbatov, I clearly state that this is an attempt to deliberately undermine relations with the Russian Federation at all levels, especially where there is a positive influence on the development of relations with the Russian Federation. I believe that someone from outside is pulling the strings. It is the West. I know very well that both President Ilham Aliev and the vast majority of the Azerbaijani people are peaceful people who love their country and their true friends. I will also look for all possible ways to release innocent and unjustly prosecuted journalists. In fact, it is our collegial and human duty."

He added that the European Parliament is already interested in these cases, as some MEPs have already expressed interest in the details of these cases.

Tom Bell