The Journalists' Platform of the Council of Europe has initiated a request in the “Toplum TV” case

The Platform for the Protection of Journalists of the Council of Europe has sent a request to the government of Azerbaijan on the case of “Toplum TV.”  The request was initiated by the European Federation of Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists and the Foundation for Justice for Journalists.

The Azerbaijani government is expected to clarify the search at “Toplum TV” and the arrests of its employees by June 8.  The authors of the appeal expect the release of the arrested and the termination of their criminal prosecution. Commenting on the initiative, Chairman of the New Generation journalistic association Arif Aliyev noted that the opportunities for legal protection of journalists at the local level are extremely limited. "Journalistic organizations that were once very active have already ceased their activities or disbanded," he noted.

The possibilities of international structures are quite wide. "However, in Azerbaijan they are very careful to protect the rights of journalists," he said. "Unfortunately, Azerbaijan has become a country with a large number of journalists in detention. In recent months, negative changes in this area have been particularly noticeable," Aliyev said.

The head of the Union of Journalists, editor-in-chief of the “Aina-Zerkalo” newspaper Elchin Shikhly also noted that "there is no institution left in the country that protects the rights of journalists. "The provisions on the protection of journalists' rights are clear, but there is simply no one to protect them," he said. In his opinion, there is a perception in society that "a journalist is not a representative of a serious profession, but a certain harmful element."

Professor Gulu Maharramli expressed regret that the persecution of journalists does not cause sufficient reaction in society, which is due to the deliberate discrediting of journalism. He also pointed to the decline in professional solidarity among journalists and the extremely weak activity of journalistic organizations.