[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PACE expressed its deep concern at the multiple attacks to media freedom and the too many cases of impunity, especially in relation to murders of journalists, some of which remain unresolved for more than a decade. It insisted on the duty of State authorities “to investigate each and every crime against journalists, and bring to justice the instigators, perpetrators and accomplices”.
The adopted text also mentions the high level of harassment targeting journalists in Azerbaijan.
The report notes: “In Azerbaijan, impunity is still ongoing for the murder of freelance journalist Rafiq Tagi, who died in hospital on 23 November 2011 after having been stabbed in Baku on 19 November 2011 by an unknown assailant. Also, in the case of Elmar Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist working for Monitor magazine, who was shot dead on 2 March 2005 in Baku, the authorities have not been able to bring anyone to justice although President Ilham Aliyev promised to find and punish the mastermind behind the murder of the journalist”.
Moreover, it reflects the restrictive environment in which media representatives and NGOs members operate in Azerbaijan: “On 22 July 2023, over 60 Azerbaijani journalists and media representatives co-signed a letter to several bodies and institutions of the Council of Europe, expressing concern about the application of the amended Media Law and the Media Registry, stating that “at least 50 media have been refused entry into the register, and some State institutions decline to respond to information requests from journalists and media outlets that are not registered”. Also in 2022, criminal laws were misused to prosecute journalists. For example, on 10 September 2022, Avaz Zeynalli, owner and chief editor of the independent news outlet Xural TV was accused of “bribery” and detained for four months, although he stated that the detention was politically motivated. On 15 February 2022, Sevinj Sadygova, a reporter working for the news website Azel.tv, and Fatima Mövlamli, a reporter for the news website Azadliq, were detained while covering a protest in Baku and were released without charge after several hours. On 20 November 2023, the Executive Director of Abzas Media, Ulvi Hasanli, was arrested by the police and detained, while his apartment and newsroom were searched. Mr Hasanli was stopped on the way to Baku airport and charged with “smuggling foreign currency”. He pleaded not guilty and denounced the charges as unfounded. What is even more worrying is that Mr Hasanli was a speaker at a hearing organised by the Assembly in April 2023 on the situation of journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.”
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