BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 11 (UPI) — An Azerbaijan journalist died after being beaten by presumed soccer fans after a Facebook post about a heated match.
Rasim Aliyev, 30, died Sunday in a hospital in Baku after being beaten by a group of men who reached out to him via Facebook after an aggressive soccer match on Aug. 6 between Cyprus and Azerbaijan. Aliyev had criticized the demeanor of the striker of the native Gabala team, Javid Huseynov. Huseynov had waved a Turkish flag after a win against the Cyprus team Apollon Limassol. He allegedly also made an offensive gesture at another journalist from Cyprus.
Aliyev felt that Huseynov was behaving inappropriately and that he should not play future matches in Europe. His Facebook post about this led to a contact from someone who claimed they were one of Huseynov’s relatives.
Since the incident, the Gabala team has suspended Huseynov. The head of Azerbaijan’s Press Council, Aflatun Amasov, said that Aliyev’s death should not be politicized until an investigation into the crime is compete.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said that that the incident marks a threat to freedom of speech, which U.S.-based organization Freedom House says is a difficult issue in Azerbaijan. The organization adds that authorities in the country have imprisoned or exercised violence against journalists who express dissenting opinions.
The country ranks 162 of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.
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