Azerbaijani Opposition Newspaper Appeals For Support Amid Pressure

Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the "Yeni Musavat" newspaper, has appealed for support amid government pressure.

BAKU -- Azerbaijan's opposition "Yeni Musavat" (New Equality) newspaper has started a campaign to sustain its operations amid pressure from authorities.

The newspaper's chief editor and founder, Rauf Arifoglu, wrote on his Facebook account on November 11 that his periodical will begin a two-day campaign on November 12 to collect as many subscriptions as possible.

Arifoglu called on Azerbaijan's intellectuals and supporters to subscribe to his newspaper for any length of time -- two weeks, a month, six months, or a year.

He promised to deliver the newspaper promptly to subscribers' homes.

"We need your prayers, your subscriptions, and your support as the authorities have confiscated 3,000 copies of our newspaper from circulation" at kiosks and newsstands, Arifoglu wrote.

Last week, the newspaper switched temporarily to online-only operations to raise the awareness of the problems it faces.