E/CN.4/2000/9 page 18 arm burnt by cigarettes by the police in September 1995, in order to coerce him to reveal the whereabouts of his mother. He was also allegedly beaten. 62. Kerim Kerimov was reportedly attending a meeting of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front and Musavat parties in Ganja on 24 May 1997 when he was arrested by the police. According to the information received, he was taken with several other individuals to the Ganja district police station where he was allegedly severely beaten. 63. By a letter dated 15 November 1999 sent in conjunction with the Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteurs informed the Government that they had received information on the following individual cases. 64. Smira Mamigdze, Ilahme Mamigdze, Zamina Alliguze and a fourth female journalist were reportedly injured on 16 November 1998 when the police allegedly violently dispersed a group of journalists demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court in Baku. The journalists were reportedly protesting against legal proceedings brought by the head of the Presidential administration against the Yeni Musavat newspaper. 65. Aydin Bagirov and Mustafa Hajibeyli, correspondents of 525 Newspaper, were allegedly beaten by police in front of the Baku City Executive building on 15 August 1998 while covering a picket protest by members of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan. Their beating was allegedly witnessed by Sahil Kerimli, a journalist with the newspaper 7 Gyun, who was allegedly detained and taken to police station No. 9 in Sabailasky district. The men were reportedly subsequently detained and released only after a film recording of the picket protest was destroyed. 66. Natig Kavadli, a journalist with Olaylar newspaper, was reportedly detained in front of the Vakhdat party office by police officers from the Sabailsky district of Baku while covering the 15 August 1998 protest (see above). He was allegedly taken to a police station, where he was beaten and had his camera confiscated. He was reportedly held for several hours before being released. 67. Haji Zamin, a correspondent with the Azadlyg newspaper, was reportedly stopped by a police officer and a man in civilian clothes on 22 August 1998 at the entrance to the "Kara Karyev" metro station. They allegedly requested his identity documents and, upon learning that he worked for Azadlyg, a police inspector and an officer of the Subway Criminal Investigations Department took him to a police station, where they abused him. The police inspector tried to cover up the alleged beating by compiling a report which falsely stated that he had resisted being stopped. The following day he was summoned to the Baku City Police Administration where he was charged with resisting arrest. He reportedly instituted legal proceedings at the Nariman district court in Baku complaining of his treatment by the police inspector and officer. The officer was reportedly fined for minor hooliganism and the police inspector was later dismissed from the police force pursuant to orders made by the Minister of the Interior. In addition, the police inspector has reportedly been arrested in connection with a criminal case instituted by the Transport Procurator's office on 27 August 1998, in which it is alleged that he exceeded his authority.