Azerbaijani Journalist Dies After Attack By Local Soccer Player Supporters

A 31-year-old Azerbaijani journalist has died in intensive care as a result of a severe beating he received by the hands of a local soccer player's supporters. Rasim Aliyev, who used to work for the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety, one of Azerbaijan's leading media-freedom organizations until it was shut down last year, died due from internal bleeding early on Aug. 9, while in the intensive-care unit, according to Radio Free Europe.

The journalist's death was confirmed by his sister, Gulnara Aliyeva. Aliyev's relatives believe that the fatal attack was carried out by supporters of a local soccer player, Cavid Huseynov, who were aggravated by the journalist's criticisms of the player's actions during a soccer match.

Huseynov has not released any comment about the incident so far.

In an interview immediately after being beaten, Aliyev stated that everything started after he criticized Huseynov's actions during a soccer match on July 30. When Huseynov was asked by a Greek journalist why he pulled out a Turkish flag during the game, he replied in a derogatory manner and made a rude hand gesture, reports News.AZ.

Aliyev then took to Facebook and stated that he did not want "someone this amoral, impertinent, and unable to control himself to represent me on European soccer fields."

He eventually received an angry phone call from someone claiming to be the soccer player's cousin, who yelled and cursed at him. Immediately after that, Huseynov himself called, explaining that he meant no offense to the Greek reporter.

He then received another call from the first man, who apologized and suggested that they meet for tea. Aliyev agreed and drove over to their meeting place.

Upon arriving at the set location, he was brutally beaten by six men for about 40 seconds. He was later taken to the hospital, where doctors stated that he had four broken ribs, an ear injury, but no damage to his internal organs.

His condition worsened overnight, however, forcing the doctors to remove his spleen. An injury to the lung was also diagnosed. He was later moved to the ICU, where he died the next day.

The Azerbaijani journalist's death is yet another reminder of the dangers faced by the media. Just recently, an HNGN article covered French magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision to stop depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed in its cartoons, after its offices were attacked in a brutal act of terrorism earlier this year.

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Greece, Turkey