Azerbaijan says may pardon jailed journalists

BAKU, May 23 (Reuters) Azerbaijan may pardon some of the journalists whose imprisonment has whipped up a storm of international criticism, a senior official said today.

Two newspapers have been evicted from their offices and their founder jailed for 2-1/2 years for defamation.

He is one of seven journalists imprisoned in cases that prompted democracy watchdog the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to urge Azerbaijan to ''stop persecuting the remaining free press''.

Ramiz Mehtiyev, the chief of staff to President Ilham Aliyev, signalled a change of tack by saying the journalists might be covered by a future presidential pardon.

''I believe that in the near future, after a certain period, it is possible that there will be pardons,'' Mehtiyev told reporters.

''I do not want to give a precise timetable but several times a year these questions are considered by the president with regard to Azeri citizens. Journalists are no exception.'' Azerbaijan is an oil producer between Russia, Iran and Turkey which is run by a political dynasty. Aliyev took over the presidency from his father who had effectively run the ex-Soviet republic for three decades.

The latest crackdown centres on Einulla Fatullayev, Azerbaijan's best-known investigative journalist and founder of the newspapers Realny Azerbaijan and Gundelik Azerbaijan.

Fatullayev was convicted last month of defaming Azerbaijan's armed forces. The Emergencies Ministry closed down the two newspapers' offices this week, citing violations of fire safety regulations.

''The eviction paralyses Azerbaijan's largest and most popular newspapers, in a clear attempt to fully silence them,'' the OSCE's representative on freedom of the media, Miklos Haraszti, said in a statement late yesterday that echoed criticism from the United States.

''This is part of an ongoing campaign to do away with independent journalism.'' The National Security Ministry said yesterday it had opened a criminal investigation into Fatullayev for terrorism. A conviction would drastically extend his jail term.

Azerbaijan is a close US ally and oil major BP is a major investor. It is expected to be exporting one million barrels of crude a day by the end of this decade.

Reuters SLD GC2054