Independent and pro-opposition newspapers are regularly shut down, their journalists thrown out of work or even jailed. After a flush of media freedom when this oil-rich country broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan has recently been cracking down hard on independent journalism.

Foreign journalists working here rarely run into problems, but for local reporters, writing stories critical of the government can have dire consequences.

Ask Agil Khalil, who yesterday was recognised by Amnesty International in its annual Journalism Under Threat awards.

Khalil, who writes for the Azadlig (Freedom) newspaper, was stabbed in the chest by unknown assailants in March, shortly after alleging that senior municipal officials were selling city-owned land privately to construction companies.

It was the second attack on him this year and Khalil now has bodyguards watching him 24 hours a day.

Government officials say Khalil is gay and that he was attacked by a boyfriend. He says he's the target of a smear campaign. (Reports of alleged homosexuality are frequently used in deeply homophobic Azerbaijan to discredit opponents of the government. A senior opposition leader here has for years been the subject of reports about his sexual orientation.)

Khalil is hardly alone. Dozens of journalists have been attacked in recent years. Just last weekend, the head of a local group fighting to protect journalists, Emin Huseynov of the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (see here), ended up in hospital after being arrested and allegedly beaten by police. The IRFS has a channel, here on YouTube, where it posts videos of attacks on journalists, including one on Khalil.

Many other reporters have been thrown in jail, often for breaching the country's controversial criminal libel and insult laws.

In Azerbaijan, individuals can bring criminal charges against journalists for defamation or insulting their reputations. This is used as a tool by state officials, or those closely connected with the government, to jail journalists trying to uncover corruption or criticise the authorities.

So far, the country has resisted calls from Western governments and press freedom groups to set up a civil libel system, so journalists can be sued for damages instead of ending up in jail.

With presidential elections due here in October, local journalists say they expect even less critical reporting will be tolerated. It might not be long before the dull and lifeless state newspapers are all that's left.