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Media freedom in Azerbaijan

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Most Azerbaijanis receive their information from mainstream television, which is unswervingly pro-government and under strict government control. According to a 2012 report of the NGO "Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS)" Azerbaijani citizens are unable to access objective and reliable news on human rights issues relevant to Azerbaijan and the population is under-informed about matters of public interest.[1]

Reporters without Borders ranks Azerbaijan at the 167th place (between Egypt and Bahrain) out of over 180 countries on the Press Freedom Index, with a score of 58.48.[2] Freedom House ranks Azerbaijan as "Not Free".[3]

The authorities use a range of measures to restrict freedom of the media within the country. Opposition and independent media outlets and journalists have their access to print-houses and distribution networks limited, or can find themselves facing defamation charges and crippling fines and are subject to intimidation tactics, including imprisonment on fabricated charges.[4] The Aliyev government in Azerbaijan restricts public access to information about the owners and shareholders of Azerbaijani companies.[5]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is banned in Azerbaijan since 2009.[6]

Reporters Without Borders has called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to firmly condemn Azerbaijan for tolerating escalating press freedom violations.[7]

In 2015 Azerbaijan had the biggest number of journalists imprisoned in Europe and Central Asia, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and was the 5th most censored country in the world, ahead of Iran and China.[8]

Activists such as Sing For Democracy and Amnesty International brought up the issues of Azerbaijan's rights as it hosted the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, after the song Running Scared by duet Ell and Nikki won the 2011 contest (these activists described its title as ironic.)[9] The issues included harassment of journalists, and the organisations met with the EBU on 1 May 2012 to discuss the problems.[10]

  1. ^ "Semi-annual Azerbaijan freedom of expression report, January 01 – July 01, 2012" (PDF; 3,0 MB). Retrieved 21 February 2013
  2. ^ "Azerbaijan : Hope quickly dashed | Reporters without borders". RSF. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  3. ^ "Azerbaijan: Freedom on the Net 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. ^ 10 Most Censored Countries. CPJ. Retrieved 20 February 2013
  5. ^ "'Official Partners' of Azerbaijan's COP29 Climate Summit Linked To Ruling Aliyev Family and Their Inner Circle". OCCRP. 2024.
  6. ^ Azerbaijan - Reporters Without Borders Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 February 2013
  7. ^ "Reporters Without Borders". Archived from the original on November 27, 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Baku 2015: Press freedom, Azerbaijan, and the European Games". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  9. ^ Amazing Azerbaijan - Documentary. Retrieved 4 August 2013
  10. ^ EBU holds Workshop on Media Freedom in Azerbaijan Archived 2012-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. EBU. Retrieved 4 August 2013

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