"Justice for Journalists" foundation on persecution of journalists in Azerbaijan in 2023

The international "Justice for Journalists" foundation published on 4 September a report on the facts of violations of journalists' rights in the countries of the former Soviet Union for 2023. The data in the report was used from open sources.

The section on Azerbaijan refers to 147 incidents of attacks/threats against media workers, bloggers, editorial offices of traditional and online publications and online activists.

The report notes that ‘an unprecedented crackdown on independent and critical media and journalists began in late 2023. As a result, more than 20 journalists and media workers are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, most independent online media outlets have been shut down, and any form of pluralism is seriously threatened.’

The government has also tried to silence its critics abroad. In August 2024, Afgan Sadigov, a journalist living in Georgia, was arrested and his extradition to Azerbaijan, where he is accused of extortion, was requested.

 The new "Media Law" adopted in 2022 entered into force and less than 10% of existing media outlets were included in the new "Media Register". As a result, most of them were in fact illegal.

Attacks on media workers during public rallies continued and none of these attacks were investigated.

Attacks using judicial and/or economic means remain the main method of putting pressure on media workers in Azerbaijan. Note that the frequency of non-physical and cyber attacks halved as compared to 2022, and the number of physical attacks also decreased as compared to the previous year. In 89% of cases, government officials were responsible for attacks on media workers, while 11% of attacks were carried out by individuals not affiliated with the authorities.

It ought to be noted that interrogations, searches, seizures and legal proceedings were among the main methods of pressures, with 50 incidents recorded in this category.

In 2023, 19 physical attacks against media workers were recorded in Azerbaijan. Most of these incidents occurred while journalists were covering mass protests and assemblies. All of the recorded attacks were performed by representatives of the authorities.

The most massive attack took place during journalists' coverage of the Seyudlu village protest in the Gedabey region.

The full report is available here: https://jfj.fund/attacks-on-media-workers-in-azerbaijan-2023/.