Objective TV was founded by the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, a member of the Human Rights House/Azerbaijan which was closed by the Azerbaijani authorities in 2011.
In the framework of this project the IRFS is cooperating with Turan Information Agency awarded with the prize of Gerd Bitserius Foundation. This professional collaboration allows both organizations to maximize the potential of employees.
Objective TV is dedicated to providing alternative human rights news from Azerbaijan. It promotes the freedoms, transparency, and political pluralism necessary for a democratic society. Objective TV focuses on issues generally ignored, underreported, or reported with bias by the mainstream media, such as freedom of expression, rule of law, transparency, and civil rights.
The HRHF reminds that Objective TV was actively involved in Sing for Democracy human rights campaign during two major international events that were held in Azerbaijan this year (Eurovision 2012 Song Contest and 7th Global Internet Governance Forum).
Objective TV offers daily news videos 6 days per week in 8 categories related to democratic development, transparency, and freedom of expression. It also produces two other programs, “Word on the Street”, a vox-pop project, and a “Difficult Questions”, a panel discussion. This year a new program "Democracy and Youth" was launched.
This year Idrak Abbasov, the reporter of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, won the Freedom of Expression 2012 award for his courage to report human rights violations.
A group of three leading civil society representatives from Azerbaijan, including IRFS chairman Emin Huseynov, Turan Information Agency director Mehman Aliyev and Legal Education Society chairman Intigam Aliyev, was nominated for “Homo Homini Award” of the People in Need Foundation.
A well-known Belarusian human rights activist, Ales Bialiatski, who was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to five years in jail on false accusations, was nominated in the category of "Defender".