Editor, reporter of Azerbaijan opposition newspaper sentenced to 2 1-2 years for libel

The charge against Rovshan Karbili, the editor of the newspaper Mukhalifat, and reporter Yashar Agazade was brought by Jalal Aliyev, an uncle of the president. The article that appeared in mid-February accused him of corruption.

The defendants' lawyer Rasid Hacili complained that "there was no serious investigation conducted" into the charges.

Ilham Aliyev and his government have faced persistent criticism from the West and the political opposition over his heavy-handed treatment of independent media. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/