Two Azeri newspapers have published cartoons of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini and the country's supreme clerical leader Ali Khamnei, in a move which drew fire from Iran.
The move came amid a series of mass protests by ethnic Azeris throughout the neighboring country triggered by a publication of an insulting cartoon by state-owned newspaper Iran.
The Caucasus Clerical Office condemned the latest caricature released by the independent Gun and Yeni Fakt newspapers. The papers will be taken to court, Sheikh Allahshukur Pashazada has said.
"Authors of the cartoon and editors of the newspapers should be held accountable for hurting the feelings of Muslims," Pashazada told a news conference Friday. He said such steps do nothing to promote the interests of Azerbaijanis.
"On the contrary, these forces, funded from abroad, are trying to provoke a stand-off between Shiites and Sunnis, and between Muslim and other religions."
As for the possible impact of the incident on Azerbaijani-Iranian relations, he said the two countries were quite close, while the cartoons are a result of the actions by those opposed to their friendship. The clerical leader added, however, that these forces are not strong enough to whip up tensions.
The Iranian embassy in Baku has condemned the publications. It said in a statement that those responsible were henchmen of Israel and the United States in neighboring Azerbaijan. The embassy described the publications as a sign of utter disrespect for Iranian clerics and the Iranian incumbent and former presidents, which runs counter to Islamic canons and represents an outspoken abuse of the freedom of the media and speech.
The statement regarded the cartoons as a continuation of efforts pursued through the publication earlier of insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad [in Denmark], disrespect for the tombstones of Shiite Imams in Iraq and the attempts to stir up ethnic strife.
"The goal pursued is to sow the seeds of discord between religions and ethnicities and cause a split in the unity of the Islamic world. These are actions stemming from the shady dealings of American and Zionist circles and aimed at achieving their hegemony and unlawful goals," the embassy said.
The embassy also thanked the Azerbaijani government for taking prompt measures to prevent such instances and called for a severe punishment of those responsible.
A group of Azeri believers staged a protest on Monday calling the newspapers that published the caricatures a stain on the free and fair media.
The chairman of the Press Council media watchdog, Aflatun Amashov, said numerous complaints had been received to date concerning the Gun newspaper and that it is on the Council's list of "racketeering" publications.
"This newspaper has repeatedly insulted people. We have already asked law enforcement bodies to study some facts about the newspaper. We will do that again now. After the matter is studied, Gun may be closed," Amashov said.
The Prosecutor General's Office has instituted criminal proceedings against the paper over the release of the insulting cartoons. Its spokesman Vugar Aliyev said the investigation was based on appeals filed by citizens.
However, the chairman of the Central Asia and South Caucasus Freedom of Speech Network, Azer Hesret, said a criminal case launched into the case is unacceptable.
"The Azerbaijani law enforcement should be in no haste. I would say this [incident] has to do more with journalistic ethics rather than criminal accountability. Otherwise, the Danish artist who recently drew the cartoons of Prohpet Muhammad would have been sentenced for life," Hesret said.
The recent publication of cartoons depicting Prohpet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper had sparked off massive protests by Muslims throughout the world.
