Council of Europe criticized Azerbaijan for persecution of journalists

Journalists in Azerbaijan are subject to criminal prosecution and arrest for their professional activities. 16 of them were imprisoned. This was reported in the report of the Platform for the Protection and Security of Media Representatives of the Council of Europe.

In the document, Azerbaijan was included in the section “impunity for the killing of journalists.” Examples include the unsolved murders of Elmar Huseynov and Rafig Tagi. There were also eight cases of police attacks on journalists while covering demonstrations. Azerbaijan is among the countries that use spyware to spy on journalists.

The authors of the report recommend that the Council of Europe urge Azerbaijan to return to dialogue and develop mechanisms that strengthen media freedom.

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