Rafiq Tagi to be Freed

At least there is good news for one writer persecuted by Islamists, according to the Associated Press:

Azerbaijan's president issued a decree Friday granting amnesty to 119 prison inmates, including several journalists whose convictions drew protests from international rights groups.

Among those freed by President Ilham Aliev's order were Samir Huseinov, editor of the newspaper Senet, and his reporter Rafiq Tagi. The two were convicted in May of inciting hatred in an article that criticized Islam.

Their convictions were criticized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the main trans-Atlantic security and rights organization, and other rights groups.

The presidential decree also granted amnesty to four other journalists. But several more journalists remain in custody.

(Emphasis added-DD)


I have written at length about Rafiq Tagi. While I am happy to see him and his editor freed, the fact remains that they are still very much in danger. After all, three Iranian clerics issued religious rulings calling for Tagi and his editor to be killed. If they so desire, they and their families should be given asylum in America or Europe, where they can get the protection they need.