National Press Day of Azerbaijan or journalism with a knife at the throat...

Baku/22.07.22/Turan: On July 22, Azerbaijan celebrates the National Press Day. 147 years ago - on July 22, 1875, when Hasan bey Zardabi began publishing the newspaper "Akinchi", the foundations of the Azerbaijani national press were laid. The newspaper, with only 56 issues, has become the first flagship of Azerbaijani journalism. But what is the state of Azerbaijani journalism today, 147 years after the publication of "Akinchi"?

Journalists answer this question in the “Difficult Question” program: Ayten Mammadova, who was attacked in early June by an unknown person who, putting a knife to her throat, threatened the life of her daughter, demanding to stop exposing publications; Aziz Orujev, head of the Internet TV channel Kanal 13 in Baku, who was threatened two weeks ago in a park where he was walking with his family members; Elchin Sadigov is a lawyer for the head of KIM TV, blogger Abid Gafarov, who was "closed" by the authorities on charges of defamation (slander).

According to Elchin Sadigov, there is no such thing as freedom of speech in Azerbaijan. The government suppresses freedom of speech legally through the Media Law.

“In Azerbaijan, there is prosecution for defamation, at the same time, for articles containing criticism of the government, government officials, against journalists, criminal cases are initiated on trumped-up charges. The government is using all means to eliminate the free independent press,” the lawyer said.

In his opinion, the reason why Abid Gafarov was sentenced to imprisonment by Azerbaijani justice is that he conducted an investigation into the "Terter case" and disseminated the results of this investigation.

“From the documents distributed by Gafarov, it was clear that the country's leadership was aware of the torture of suspects in the “Terter case.” And Gafarov’s call to the veterans of the Karabakh war not to be “submissive” and to resist arbitrariness was the reason for depriving the blogger of freedom. The court found this call to be slander and insult, and found him guilty under Articles 147 (libel) and 148 (insult) of the Criminal Code,” Sadigov said, noting that Gafarov’s arrest is “a continuation of the campaign of arrests and punishments” against freedom of speech.

According to Ayten Mammadova, on July 14, she was in the Main Police Department of the capital which is investigating her case on July 14.

“The police reported on the work done. But there is no result,” she said, adding that by a strange coincidence, the video camera installed in front of her entrance was not functioning at the time of the attack.

Aziz Orudjev said that he managed to photograph the man who threatened him.

“Later, the police reported that this man had been detained, but since he has a mental disorder, he cannot be prosecuted,” he said. Orudjev stressed that from the very beginning he was sure that even if the person who threatened him was found, no measures would be taken against him.

"As always, those who attack journalists and try to intimidate them remain unpunished," he  said.--0--