Dear RFE/RL editors, I am writing this letter to protest the recent news posting by Elizabeth Fuller in Transcaucasia Newsline, February 27, titled "Azerbaijani, Karabakh officials issue statements on massacre anniversary". The news piece intentionally links parts of Azerbaijani and Armenian official statements to give an impression that all the fault for this cruel and inhuman genocide can be pinned on Azeri government, then-president Ayaz Mutallibov, and Azerbaijani Popular Front. And this is not the first one-sided, biased and partisan pro-Armenian approach taken by Elizabeth Fuller in her news coverage. Except this time, she takes such a stand ignoring the souls of hundreds of children and elders brutally murdered by Armenian and Russian forces in Khojaly. Well, but the question is, who was the party committing the Khojaly massacre? Is there any proof that Azerbaijani Popular Front intentionally committed brutality against its own nation, when there is more than sufficient evidence (tapes, witnesses, etc.) that this genocide was committed by Armenian and Russian detachments? Does Liz Fuller, a one-sided, pro-Armenian, and biased journalist, who numerously proved her record in eyes of thousands of Azeri readers, have sufficient evidence that such acts were committed by Azerbaijanis against their own people? Did she watch the tapes of genocide and seen the pictures of those murdered? We, Azerbaijanis, expect an answer to this question from you, the editors of RFE/RL, taking full responsibility for your writings. The history will make its own judgement about Khojaly events, which by all terms of international law can be considered as Azeri genocide committed by Armenians. But we would expect a more bypartisan approach taken by Radio Free Europe, as an example of propaganda of democracy, peace and freedom of expression on the European continent and the volatile Caucasus region. With best regards, Javid Huseynov PhD Student University of California Irvine ------------------------------------------------ Dear Mr. Goble, I am writing to express my anger, disgust and deep disappointment with the RFERL TransCaucasia Newsline of February 27, 2001, titled "AZERBAIJANI, KARABAKH OFFICIALS ISSUE STATEMENTS ON MASSACRE ANNIVERSARY". In it, the author Liz Fuller gives an opportunity for Armenian officials of occupational and terrorist regime of NKR to justify the massacre of hundreds of peaceful civilians in Hojali village of Azerbaijan. The massacre was planned and executed in the most brutal way it could be done and there can be no excuse for that neither from the military or moral point of views. The massacre of children, elders and women is a horrible act and humanity will never forget what has happened in Hojali. By publishing such news, RFERL gave an opportunity to the organizers and implementers of such a horrible event to justify it and to present a false and misguiding version of events. By doing so, RFERL definetely lost its credibility in my eyes, as well as in the eyes of many Azerbaijanis. I have personally seen a documentary on Hojali. I saw hundreds of corps, with cut eyes, ears, ripped of skin and raped women and children. I wonder if Ms. Liz Fuller has seen it, because if she has, she would not even consider writing on this event in such a way. Facts are seen even by a blind person and there is no reason for RFERL to become another machine for Armenian propaganda. Sincerely, Fariz Ismailzade Washington University in St. Louis This letter is to express my protest and frustration to the recent news posting by Elizabeth Fuller in Transcaucasia Newsline, February 27, titled "Azerbaijani, Karabakh officials issue statements on massacre anniversary". For the last years, i have been observing Liz's biased approach in reporting and posting news articles in RFE/RL. However, in Liz Fuller' case i see that there is no limit to a journalist unprofessionalism and biasness. How can a journalist write such an article without seeing the documentary of the Khodjaly Massacre documented by your fellow colleagues from the world's leading newspapers and Tv stations, let alone reputable international organizations and their respective reports. Below i cite them and their reports on Khodjaly Massacre done by the Armenian forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenian Republic. 1) United Nations records, 2) Norwegian Refugee Council, 3) Russia's MEMORIAL human right organization 4) Human Rights Watch /Helsinki (HRW) Those days, unlike YOU and LIZ FULLER, your colleagues from the leading newspapers wrote: "Crual L'Eveneman" magazine (Paris), March 25, 1992: "The Armenians attacked Khojali district. The whole world became the witness of the disfigured dead bodies. Azeris speak about thousand killed people". "Sunday Times" newspaper (London), March 1, 1992: "Armenian soldiers annihilated the hundred families". "Financial times" newspaper (London), March 9, 1992: ".Armenains shot down the column of refugees, fled to Aghdam. The Azerbaijani side counted up about 1200 dead bodies. The cameraman from Lebanon confirmed that the rich dashnak community of his country send the weapon and people to Karabakh". "Times" newspaper (London), March 4, 1992: . "Many people were mutilated, and it was remained only the head of one little girl". "Izvestiya" newspaper (Moscow), March 4, 1992: ".Camcoder showed the kids with the cut off ears. One old woman were cut off the half of her face. The men were scalped." "Financial Times", March 14, 1992: "General Polyakov said 103 Armenian servicemen from regiment No 366 stayed in Nagorni Karabakh". "Le Mond" newspaper (Paris), March 14, 1992: ". The foreign journalists in Aghdam saw the women and three scalped children with the pulled off nails among the killed people. This is not "Azerbaijani propaganda", but reality "Izvestiya" newspaper, March 13, 1992: "Major Leonid Kravets: "I saw about hundred dead bodies on the hill. One little boy was without head. Everywhere were the dead bodies of women, children, elders killed with the particular brutality". "Valer actuel" magazine (Paris), March 14, 1992: ".|n this "autonomous region" Armenian armed forces together with the people who are natives of Near East have the most modern military equipment, including the helicopters. ASALA has military bases and ammunition depots in Syria and Lebanon. Armenians annihilated Azerbaijanis of Karabakh, implemented bloody massacre in more than 100 Moslem villages". Journalist of british TV company "Funt man news" R. Patrick who visited the palce of tragedy: "Crime in Khojali can not be justified in public opinion". Where was Liz Fuller then? I do not know. But one thing is for sure the souls of those 700 slaughtered Azeri civilians in Khodjaly and those 1,200 hostages, some of them slaughtered in captivities, will be always following Liz and herlike irresponsible journalists. Posting a news article in a reputable newsletter such as RFE/RL, Liz Fuller should acknowledge the amount of responsibility she is carrying. The damage she has done to your organization in terms of reputation and image is huge. A clearing article in your next edition should be posted. Liz Fuller and herlikes should do their homework properly prior to attempting to post something absurd and ridicule in such a newsletter like yours. I have two words to describe that article: Irresponsibility and Disgust. You should also be responsible for your fellow journalist. Remaining in frustration, Araz Mehdiyev Investment Manager American International Group (AIG) Dear Dr. Goble, I am writing to express my anger with the RFERL, TransCaucasia Newsline of February 27, 2001, titled Azerbaijani, Karabakh officials issue statements on massacre anniversary. I am also writing to express my disappointment with you sir, as a director of communications for RFE, how could you allow such false and bias reporting to be printed. Sir, I have met you last year at a US congress briefing my organization brought together for Black January. You were one of the panelists, who knew our struggles and problems. I was very impressed by your knowledge about the Caucasus, especially Azerbaijan. Everyone at the briefing appreciated your views. But my sympathetic impression turned to disappointment when I read Ms Liz Fullers article last week. Because, as the publisher and the director you could have stopped such bias article to be distributed. This is not the first time Ms. Fuller has taken a biased and pro-Armenian approach in her news coverage. Why is this occurring in a news publication like yours? She is a journalist; there are principles and standards of a proper journalism, and she is abusing all of these. Sir, I am writing to you as one American to another. Please put a halt to this kind of bias reporting. We are trying to find peace; we are trying to find a solution to our problems. There is no need for all this false propaganda by Ms. Fuller. I hope that this can be remedied in the future with your interjection into any instances of false and biased reporting that distorts historical facts. Thank you very much for your time in reading this and responding positively. Ms. Tomris Azeri President Azerbaijan Society of America To the RFE/RL Newsline editors and contributors, For many years now Liz Fuller has been hardly concealing bias, selective quotation and questionable citations in her reporting, and has received an innumerable number of written complaints from all the readers, myself included. Examples of false and biased reporting concerned the "Nagorno Karabakh Republic" (after a number of protests at least she started appending the "unrecognized" status of it), ancient Albanian monuments in Naxcivan (under the pretext of being demolished and being Armenian), casualty figures during the 1988 Sumgait provocations, 1990 "Black January" in Baku, and more, as always relying on Armenian Groong news service. The latest news piece covering the Khojaly Massacre from RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 5, No. 40, Part I, 27 February 2001 is one of the worst, and definitely most insulting not only to the memory of the massacred civilian population, but also to the intelligence of the reader. Not only is 2/3 of the news piece concentrating on a statement by some Atanesian, a person with neither background in historical science and research, nor official representation of a legal entity. Khojaly Massacre happened in 1992, not even a decade ago, right before our eyes. The terrible atrocities have been confirmed by many Western, Russian and Azerbaijani journalists and researchers, with video and photo evidence. Moreover, the outrageous act of ethnic cleansing of the modern era in the Caucasus has been certified by none other than the 1) United Nations records, 2) Norwegian Refugee Council, 3) Russia's MEMORIAL human right organization with its comprehensive report (who cannot be suspected of nurturing any pro-Azerbaijani sentiments) and 4) Human Rights Watch / Helsinki (HRW), the most authoritative Western human rights watchdog. Who is Liz Fuller, not to mention this Atanesian, to contravene the evidence presented, documented and readily available? Why is Ms. Fuller so eager to cite HRW in other times, yet is so shy now? It is also ironic that Armenian propaganda, and its governments' official mouthpiece, Armenpress, was caught red-handed by HRW in 1997 when they attempted to distort and completely falsify HRW's findings. It seems since these propagandists got smarter and decided to use their puppets in the occupied Azerbaijani lands instead, so that not to be mocked and ridiculed. Liz Fuller should read the letter at URL: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5078/armenpress.html or inquire from HRW to get a copy. All the above mentioned evidence can also be accessed at this site, http://come.to/Khojaly. Liz Fuller's reporting is consistently running against the RFE/RL principles, journalist standards and even against other RFE/RL reports done by unbiased analysts. Here is a 26 February 1999 report: "AZERBAIJAN TO GIVE HAGUE COURT DOCUMENTS ON 1992 MASSACRE Idayet Orudshev, state secretary for nationality issues, has said Baku will present the international court at The Hague with documents on the massacre of 600 Azerbaijanis by Armenian forces in the city of Khojaly on 26 February 1992, Interfax reported. In addition, more than 500 Azerbaijanis were injured in the attack and some 1,200 taken prisoner. PG" Can Ms. Fuller explain whether some 500 wounded and 1,200 hostages are good enough (living) proof for her about the massacre orchestrated by Armenian forces -- not just some puppet "Karabakh" forces, but Armenian Republic's forces with the help of 366th Russian Motorized Infantry Division? Families of those 500 people are alive, their testimonies recorded, and they surely can identify Armenian butchers as clearly as night from day. As we can see through all the outrageous nonsense readily reported by Ms. Fuller. Sincerely in disgust, Adil Baguirov RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC ___________________________________________________________ RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 5, No. 40, Part I, 27 February 2001 AZERBAIJANI, KARABAKH OFFICIALS ISSUE STATEMENTS ON MASSACRE ANNIVERSARY. In a statement to mark the anniversary of the massacre of several hundred Azerbaijanis in the Karabakh village of Khodjaly in 1992, Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev criticized then President Ayaz Mutalibov for failing to take measures to prevent those deaths, Interfax and dpa reported. Aliev also criticized the international community for what he termed its failure to condemn the killings. Meanwhile Vahram Atanesian, chairman of the Standing Foreign Relations Commission of the Karabakh parliament, issued a statement which Noyan Tapan circulated on 26 February. Atanesian said that the Karabakh Armenian authorities had given Mutalibov advance warning that they intended to try to neutralize Azerbaijani weapons emplacements in Khodjaly and had announced that a corridor would be opened to allow the civilian population to leave Khodjaly before that offensive began. Atanesian said that it was armed detachments of the Azerbaijan Popular Front who killed the Khodjaly villagers, not Armenian and Russian troops as Baku claims. LF