AZERI COURT DROPS CHARGES AGAINST TRANSLATOR OF HITLER’S "MEIN KAMPF"

APA
July 29 2009
Azerbaijan

A court in Azerbaijan has dropped charges against an editor who
translated Hitler’s "Mein Kampf" into the Azerbaijani language and
published it in his newspaper, APA news agency said on 29 July.

Baku’s Narimanov district court dropped charges of "provoking national,
racial, social or religious hatred and hostility" against the editor
of Xural newspaper, Avaz Zeynalli.

Criminal proceedings against Zeynalli were launched after the leader
of the community of mountain Jews in Azerbaijan, Semyon Ixiilov,
appealed to the country’s president over the publication.

"This is a very important decision," APA quoted Zeynalli as
saying. "This decision is a proof of the independence of Azerbaijani
courts. Finally, the process that started on 4 December 2004 has
ended and readers have regained the right to read books in their
native language."

Zeynalli also said that he was translating Russian politician
Vladimir Zhirinovskiy’s "Last strike on south" and Armenian writer
Zori Balayan’s "Fire" and planning to publish them, APA said.