Eldar Mahmudov has insisted that two Georgian citizens named by the ministry in 2005 are guilty of killing outspoken editor Elmar Huseynov.
Huseynov, the editor-in-chief of the hard-hitting Monitor magazine, was shot at the threshold to his home on 2 March 2005.
'As a result of the operations and investigation of the criminal case into journalist Elmar Huseynov’s murder, it has been proved that citizens of Georgia Tahir Khubanov and Teymuraz Aliyev participated in committing the murder,' National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov said in an interview published today in official newspaper Azerbaijan.
'In May 2005, a search was initiated for them through Interpol. The National Central Bureau of Interpol in Azerbaijan is in touch with 188 countries. Information about these persons has been sent to all these countries and the search is continuing,' Mahmudov said.
He said the Azerbaijani side had filed six petitions to the Georgian Prosecutor General’s Office for legal assistance, and for the detention and extradition of Tahir Khubanov and Teymuraz Aliyev. Members of the investigation group had made several visits to Georgia in connection with the petitions.
'There are some problems connected with the relevant legislation and procedural rules of every country. Anyway, we have normal relations with all partners, including the intelligence agencies of our neighbouring countries. We try to solve the problems with joint efforts. Officers were sent to Russia and Bulgaria to determine the origin of the murder weapon and its owner.
'The following statistics show how seriously we take the investigation of the case: more than 600 witnesses were interrogated, about 160 inspections and searches were carried out, 20 forensic examinations and 51 identification measures were conducted. I would like to underline the work of the law-enforcement organizations. Recent publications in some newspapers were slanderous and gave illogical and irresponsible interpretations.
'I have said many times that investigation of the details of the case, the identification of all persons involved in Elmar Huseynov’s murder and bringing them to justice is an matter of principle for us and we will achieve it sooner or later. The main actors in the crime are known and they will be detained and brought to justice sooner or later. It is only a matter of time, but we believe that it will happen soon. We identified the people who killed Elmar Huseynov and the investigation proved their guilt. We are using every method and opportunity and taking the necessary investigative measures to arrest them soon.'
Elmar Huseynov's widow, Rushana Huseynova, has appealed to the European Court for Human Rights over the failure to solve her husband's murder.