Azerbaijan insists that the arrested Russian journalists were FSB agents

The Press Council of Azerbaijan responded to the letter of the Union of Journalists of Russia, which expressed a protest in connection with the arrest in Baku of the heads of the Russian state media agency "Sputnik Azerbaijan" Igor Kartavych and Evgeny Belousov.

The statement of the Azerbaijani side states that the detention has nothing to do with the performance of professional duties by these persons. It is emphasized that they cooperated with the FSB of the Russian Federation and were in Azerbaijan to fulfill assignments unrelated to journalistic activities.

The Press Council of Azerbaijan reminded that previously "Sputnik Azerbaijan" was headed by Vitaliy Denisov for several years - a staff officer of the Russian special services, closely connected with the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Prior to that, he headed the agency "Sputnik South Ossetia", and later - "Sputnik Moldova". Denisov was expelled from Azerbaijan and Moldova.

"In the situation with the arrest of employees of Sputnik Azerbaijan, which was nothing more than a branch of the FSB of Russia, it is necessary to think about the connection of supposedly independent journalistic organizations represented by the Union of Journalists of Russia with special services, turning them into a means of political influence and information manipulation. We call on international journalistic and human rights organizations to adequately respond to such informational sabotage and strongly condemn the use of media for political purposes," the press council of Azerbaijan said in a statement.

On June 30, against the background of worsening relations between Baku and Moscow, the Azerbaijani police stormed the editorial office of Sputnik Azerbaijan. As a result, seven people were detained, including the editor-in-chief of the Russian state agency "Sputnik Azerbaijan" Igor Kartavych and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov. In response, a number of Azerbaijani businessmen were detained in Russia and ethnic Azerbaijanis were deprived of their citizenship without explanation.

The measures against Sputnik employees followed the forceful actions of Russian law enforcement officers in Yekaterinburg on June 27, as a result of which ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed and many were tortured. The forensic medical examination in Azerbaijan established that the cause of death of the two Safarov brothers was post-traumatic shock caused by multiple rib fractures and other serious injuries. The Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case on the fact of torture and intentional murder with particular cruelty of two citizens of the country and persons of Azerbaijani origin by employees of the Russian law enforcement agencies.

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