Intl rights defenders call on Tbilisi to investigate circumstances of Azerbaijani journalist's disappearance ASAP
TBILISI. June 14 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has received a letter signed by 24 international non-governmental organizations (NGO) calling on the Georgian government to conduct as soon as possible an unbiased inquiry into Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli's disappearance in Tbilisi on May 29, the Georgian governmental press service said on Wednesday.
"We have an investigation of the Azerbaijani journalist's disappearance underway. It is very important for Georgia to maintain the image of a country developing democratically," Kvirikashvili told reporters, commenting on the international NGOs' letter, on Wednesday.
The European Parliament will vote on a resolution on Muktarli's case and the situation with the media in Azerbaijan on Thursday, June 15. The European Parliament said in a draft resolution posted on its website on Wednesday that it urges the Georgian government to ensure a prompt, thorough, transparent and effective investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Georgian authorities are responsible for the protection of foreign citizens living in Georgia and persons seeking the political asylum, draft resolution said.
It was reported earlier that Leyla Mustafayeva, the Azerbaijani journalist's wife, had accused Georgian law enforcement structures of kidnapping Mukhtarli on a street in downtown Tbilisi and handing him over to Azerbaijani security services in the Lagodekhi border crossing point.
The Baku City Court handed down a ruling earlier on Mukhtarli's three-month pre-trial detention on charges of illegal crossing of the Georgian-Azerbaijani border, smuggling large amounts of foreign currency, and resisting border guards.
