Yesterday, 31 December, the imprisoned Editor-in-chief of Gundelik Azerbaijan and Realniy Azerbaijan newspapers, Eynulla Fatullayev was sentenced to two months pre-trial detention. 

Eynulla Fatullayev’s father Emin Fatullayev told the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) that yesterday at evening hours Eynulla Fatullayev was taken to the Garadag District Prosecutor’s Office first and then to the Gardag District Court. The court issued a decision to sentence the editor-in-chief to pre-trial detention on the new case launched against him. Father Fatullayev told IRFS that his son will be transferred to the Baku Investigative Prison in Kurdekhani. At present Eynulla Fatullayev is being held in prison #12.  
On 29 December, 0.22 grams heroin was found on Fatullayev. A criminal case was launched under article 234 (preparing, producing, obtaining and/or selling of narcotics illegally). Eynulla Fatullayev, his family, local and international community assessed this incident as an operation set-up to increase the journalist’s prison term. This is the second conviction put forth against Fatullayev during his imprisonment.
Eynulla Fatullayev was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment on 21 April 2007 for insulting honor and dignity.  Later he was convicted under articles 214.1 (threatening terror), 283.2.2 (incitement of ethnic/national, social or religious hatred abusing authority), and 213.2.2 (tax evasion) of the Criminal Code and was sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment on 30 October 2007.
Realniy Azerbaijan has been published as weekly newspaper, and Gundelik Azerbaijan was published as a daily newspaper since 2005. Eynulla Fatullayev established the newspapers and was the editor-in-chief of both publications. The newspapers ceased their activity after the arrest of the editor-in-chief in 2007.