Azerbaijani Law Enforcement Say Hospital Staff Not To Blame For Writer's Death

Writer Rafiq Tagi died in November

Law enforcement officials in Azerbaijan have ruled that medical personnel were not to blame for the death of a prominent writer being treated in a Baku hospital.

Rafiq Tagi, a prominent critic of the Azerbaijani government, was hospitalized after being stabbed by an unknown assailant in November and died several days later even though his condition had appeared to stabilize.

In an interview on February 3 with RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, Tagi's brother Rafael Tagiyev rejected the official ruling, saying doctors had been "negligent" in their treatment.

Mehman Aliyev, a member of a public investigation group on Tagi's death, says the writer was not provided with sufficient security and that his food and medication were not properly monitored.

Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry says more than 130 people have been interrogated in connection with Tagi's death.