Media Rights Institute: persecution of Khayal TV illegal

Media Rights Institute (MRI) denounced the prosecutor’s speech at the trial on the events in Guba on March 1, 2012, where he proposed to sentence two journalists to prison for 4.5 years.

Executive director and chief editor of the regional TV channel Khayal TV, Vugar Gonagov and Zaur Guliyev, are charged with broadcasting the speech of the executive of Guba, Rauf Khabibov, who insulted the locals. These frames were then posted on the Internet and caused public outcry and mass disorder accompanied by damage and the burning of Khabibov’s villa.

The call to make such a harsh punishment to journalists, who spread the very important information to the public, is illegal, said the MRI in the statement.

"Preparation and bringing to the public of information of public content is the main task of journalists," he said in the statement.

In this case, it was a statement by the official head of the district at an event open to the press. There is no connection between the riots and the proliferation of the video. Moreover, the material itself is no crime – no distortions, additions, comments or calls, notes IPM.

Therefore, the punishment of journalists for their professional activities is unacceptable and the proposal to sentence the journalists is unacceptable.

Freedom of expression does not mean distribution of only pleasant or bright news. What happened in Guba could be associated with poor governance, corruption, and public discontent with the policy of the authorities.

Severe punishment of the Guba journalists is aimed at deterring the media from disseminating objective and accurate information about the behavior of the officials and government agencies.

MRI condemns the harassment of journalists for their professional activities and calls for their release.   -06D-