“Journalists are arrested within the framework of the law” |

“If the Internet is free, what kind of restriction can we talk about?!”

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that media freedom is ensured in the country, there is no censorship, free internet and hundreds of media organizations are operating.

Aliyev said this on April 26 at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz, while answering the question of the German journalist’s Azerbaijani colleague Imran Aliyev’s arrest.

In his opinion, it would be unfair to criticize Azerbaijan for taking steps to block the development of the media:

“If the Internet is free, what kind of restriction can we talk about?! As for individual cases, of course, law enforcement agencies investigate all issues. Some time ago, the representatives of some media organizations illegally financed from abroad were detained by investigative bodies. This was done in full accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan. Any country must defend its laws, and if a media representative who received illegal funds from abroad is under investigation, this should not mean that the media is not free. It’s just that everyone should act within the law.”

“Like any country, we must protect our media space from foreign negative influence and everyone must follow the law. In our words, there is a free society in Azerbaijan, people create and live, including media representatives.” Aliyev added.

Chancellor Olaf Scholtz said that they touched on the issue of human rights in detail within the framework of their talks with Ilham Aliyev.

He said that Germany contributes to human rights.

“Of course, every country should have a free press and human rights should not be violated, this is a general situation. Of course, it is no secret that various countries have the potential to improve the situation“.

Aliyev answered the question of Fatima Karimova, co-founder of Mikroskopmedia, about the fact that billions of manats were invested in reconstruction works in Karabakh after the war, but many details about the projects were not transparent to the public and the media.

“Actually, your question is surprising. The reconstruction works in Karabakh and East Zangezur are carried out in the most transparent manner. The public, including media representatives, is informed about the allocated funds. It is no secret that the recent information shows that the volume of work is large-scale. After the end of the war, until the end of this year, 12 billion manats and somewhere around 7 billion dollars have been and will be invested in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. All the work done is in sight, the tender procedures are fully followed”.

“I honestly do not know where you got this information from? You’re probably getting it from some unspecified source, but media tours of the liberated areas are being organized. In particular, foreign media representatives are also familiar with the situation. If you had the opportunity, you would see how Armenia devastated our lands and what joy the people who returned to the territories live today. Only 3.5 years have passed since the war, 6,000 former displaced persons have already returned to their ancestral homes, and this process is continuing. By the end of this year, 20,000 displaced people will return. Every returning person returns with a sense of gratitude to the Azerbaijani army and leadership. I know that the absolute majority of the Azerbaijani media likes, supports and appreciates our activities.” – he said.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited Germany.

The head of state participated in the High-Level Segment of the “15th Petersburg Climate Dialogue” held in Berlin.

After that, he had a one-on-one meeting with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholtz.

At several international events, Aliyev repeatedly said that the Internet and media are free in Azerbaijan.

But what is the real picture?

Pressure on the media in Azerbaijan: the arrest of Imran Aliyev…

Imran Aliyev, the head of “Meclis.info” website, was detained on his way to Turkey on the evening of April 18 and brought to the Baku City Police Department.

At night, the house where he lived was searched.

Before all this happened – at noon on April 18, pro-government media, including “Qafqazinfo” website, published material against independent media and journalists.

In that article, Meclis.info website and Imran Aliyev were accused.

Imran Aliyev said that what was written there was absurd and fabricated.

The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs denied the allegations that Imran Aliyev was tortured, and the agency stated that the allegations are baseless.

“AbzasMedia” work

Arrests in the “AbzasMedia” case, known for its corruption investigations, began on November 20 of last year.

First, the site’s director Ulvi Hasanli, deputy director Mahammad Kekalov, and editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifqizi were arrested. Later, arrests continued with investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova. They are also charged with Article 206.3.2 (smuggling by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code.

The sanction of this article provides for imprisonment from 5 to 8 years.

After Ulvi Hasanli was detained on November 20, the office of “AbzasMedia” was searched. It was claimed that 40,000 euros were found in the site’s office.

Ulvi Hasanli said that there was no money there, that 40,000 euros were deposited in the office by those who claimed to have found it.

None of the named journalists plead not guilty, “AbzasMedia” said that a number of officials, including members of the President’s family, were punished for investigations related to business and corruption.

Pressure on “Channel 13″…

After “AbzasMedia”, head of “Kanal 13” Internet TV channel Aziz Orujov and employee of this institution Shamo Eminov were also arrested on charges of smuggling. Currently, the investigation of their case continues at the Sabail District Police Department.

“Community TV” business

On March 6, a group of Toplum TV channel employees were arrested on the same charges.

It is claimed that various amounts of money were found during the search of “Toplum” editorial office and the houses of individual employees.

They deny this accusation and say that the allegedly found money was placed in the houses and offices by the policemen themselves.