Politics 17:36 27/04/2016 Region

Azerbaijani authorities persecute Meydan TV for exposing Azerbaijani army’s hidden losses in “four-day war”

Azerbaijani authoritieshave filed a criminal case against the executives and journalists of online Meydan TV, which is one of the few Azerbaijani independent media outlets.According to one of the versions, the criminal case against Meydan TV came as a result of the publication of the list of the dead during the latest escalation in the Karabakh conflict zone, Russian TV channel Rain reports

It is reminded that earlier, Meydan TV’seditorial staff presented a list of 93 killed Azerbaijani soldiers, while the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense declared about 31 killed. According to Meydan TV’s editor-in-chief EminMilli, every person in that list has been really killed in the military action, and the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense cannot deny this information.

“Meydan TV enjoys a great trust among the Azerbaijani citizens, and that is why, when the military action began, soldiers themselves and the families of the killed – parents, relatives, brothers, sisters – sent the names and photos of the killed to us. Our journalists and our people checked the information in place, and they were present at funerals. Each name we included in the list is checked, and it is not surprising that the pro-governmental media started to call us traitorsfor some reason,”Milli notes.

According to him, until now, none of the pro-governmental media outlets could deny any of the facts published on Meydan TV. He notes that the pro-governmental Haqqin.az referred to a soldier as if he were alive, while the TV presented him as dead. However, the editor clarifies that in reality, the pro-governmental website did not use a screenshot or a hyperlink to Meydan TV.

“Neither the Ministry of Defense nor the pro-governmental media could point where Meydan TV had lied. In other words, we did what the Ministry of Defense actually should have done from the very beginning. We think that this is a lack of respect by our government and the Ministry of Defense towards the killed soldiers, their families, relatives, friends, and the whole Azerbaijani nation,”Milli emphasizes.

HefurthernotesthattheindependentmediaareinbadconditionsinAzerbaijan. He reminds that the headquarters of the internet TV channel founded by him is in Berlin, and that he does not have his own journalists in Azerbaijan. He saidthere are several citizens, who send video materials and certain information to them for publication.

“We have professional journalists outside Azerbaijan, who process and check that information,being abroad. Onlyafterthat, wepublishit. It is a very complicated system and scheme, but, unfortunately, the independent media in Azerbaijan cannot work in any other way nowadays,” he notes.

Millialso reminds that in December 2014, he had to close the Meydan TV office toavoid the authorities’ pressure. He highlights that at that time, even the office of RFE/RL financed by the US Congress, was closed.

He notes that the criminal case is launched against Meydan TV’s “executives,” however, as this online media outlet is not a legal entity in Azerbaijan, the accusations are brought against certain people. “Thecriminalcaseisnoteventhequestion. For example, one of our editors, GunelMovlud, is in Tbilisi, and her two brothers are currently in prison. One of my relatives was also in prison, he has been released recently. Several months ago, the police forced 23 of my relatives to publicly renounce me,”Milli says noting that an atmosphere of fear is unleashed in the country, like in Stalin times.

Moreover, there are citizens among the 15 people sued for their collaboration with Meydan TV, who sent only few video materials to the editors. “It is frightful to think that people can be punished only for that. Unfortunately, we have to be ready for everything,” he says.

In its turn, the famous American newspaper The Washington Post writes that  before his recent visit to the United States in the beginning of March, President IlhamAliyev of Azerbaijan pardoned some 148 inmates, among them some journalists and political prisoners.In Washington, Aliyev met with Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Vice President Biden. But no one should conclude that this brutish leader has changed his ways.

The newspaper notes that after Aliyev returned home, Meydan TV, an independent digital news platform, announced that prosecutors there opened a criminal investigation for alleged illegal business activities, abuse of power and tax evasion. It is highlighted that those are the standard charges used to harass and silence Aliyev’s critics.None of the 15 journalists, against whom thecriminal case has been launched, is yet formally charged, but some have been told they cannot leave the country, and they are subject to home searches and equipment confiscations without a warrant.EminMilli, Meydan TV’s founder, served 16 months in prison on trumped-up charges.

“Mr. Aliyev is always jittery in the face of criticism.He jailed the journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who first exposed the ownership of lucrative gold mines by Mr. Aliyev’s daughters, later revealed in the Panama Papers to be even larger than thought,” The Washington Post informs.

Journalists, bloggers and activists also remain imprisoned in the country. The newspaper emphasizes that Meydan TV has recently challenged the official count of casualties suffered by Azerbaijan in a “four-day conflict.”

“The experience of Meydan TV teaches that the digital byways can enable free information to reach closed societies and bypass tyrants.Mr. Aliyev seems to think he can fight back with secret police and prosecutors.Perhaps Mr. Aliyev inherited these inclinations from his father, Heydar, a career KGB man who was appointed to the Soviet Politburo.While KGB methods can be painful for those targeted, they can’t seal out the truth, nor stop criticism, as Meydan TV and Ms. Ismayilova have courageously demonstrated.Mr. Aliyev should free all political prisoners, drop the prosecution of Meydan TV and sit down to watch the channel himself. He might learn something about the values a nation needs to succeed in the modern age,” the newspaper sums up.

Meanwhile, Amal Clooney, a British lawyer of Lebanese descent anda specialist in international law and human rights, told BBC that as the attorney of the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who was condemned to 7,5 years of imprisonment in Baku, she will achieve the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision on her case.

Clooney said that she had met the Azerbaijani ambassador to the US, who assured her that his country will respect the decision of the ECHR. According to her, there are also diplomatic methods of resolving the problem, among which a law bill enacted in the US Congress and providing sanctions against Azerbaijani officials among them.

Meanwhile, RFE/RL reports that influential American senator Ben Cardin also met Amal Clooney and discussed Khadija Ismayilova’s case with her. “I had a very productive conversation with AmalClooney and am impressed by her passion for and dedication to humanrights,” the senator posted on his Facebook page.

In addition, the Caucasian Knot reports that the Azerbaijani human rights defenders and former political prisoners IntigamAliyev, AnarMammadli, and RasulJafarovreleased a joint statement calling the Azerbaijani authorities to release the rest of the political prisoners in the country – journalists, bloggers, political activists, and religious community representatives.

The authors of the statement note that the restrictions of freedom of speechand assembly are a serious threat to Azerbaijan’s political perspectives and democratic progress. “Azerbaijani authorities violate their international obligations by prosecuting media and enacting laws, which narrow the possibilities for the political parties’ activities,”AnarMamedli emphasized. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

13:15
Greta Thunberg boycotts COP29 in Baku
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has announced her decision to boycott the upcoming COP29 climate summit, set to take place in Baku,...
12:59
UN court to deliver judgment on Armenia v. Azerbaijan case on November 12
On Tuesday 12 November, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its...
12:33
Opposition MP asks to postpone independence declaration debates
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Gegham Manukyan on Tuesday asked a parliamentary committee to postpone debates on a statement defending...
12:03
Senator Markey: COP29 should be used to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes
U.S. Senator Ed Markey insists that COP29 should be used to hold the Azerbaijani government accountable for its war crimes....
11:34
Armenia appoints new justice minister
Srbuhi Galyan has been appointed Armenia’s new justice minister. President President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a relevant decree...
11:15
Iranian leader to attend COP29 in Baku
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan reported....
11:02
Armenian ambassador says he received death threats from Azeri counterpart in Brussels
The Armenian Embassy has lodged a formal protest with other diplomatic missions in Brussels after its ambassador claimed to have been on the...
17:02
Footballer killed by lightning strike at match in Peru
A football player in Peru has died and more have suffered injuries after being struck by lightning during a match on Sunday afternoon, the Daily...
16:46
On the trail of a post about Lori shared by Georgian president
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili shared on Facebook a post by a Georgian travel agency offering tours to Armenia’s Lori Province on...
16:05
Parliament speaker names ruling party's candidate for Gyumri mayor
Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party has picked Karen Sarukhanyan, a former governor of Shirak Province, as its candidate for the next...
15:42
Pashinyan criticized for failure to congratulate Moldova's president on re-election
Artur Sakunts, a human rights activist who heads the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Vanadzor, on Monday criticized Prime Minister Nikol...
15:07
Car crash in Armenia leaves one dead, three wounded
A tragic car crash in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province on Monday left one person killed and three others injured. The Rescue Service...
14:36
Yerevan mayor says his 'good looks' could make him a target for corruption rumors
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan denied allegations of corrupt practices involving him as defamation.  “I guess my good looks...
14:14
Putin to accept credentials from new Armenian envoy on Tuesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the letters of credence from 28 newly arrived foreign ambassadors, including Armenian...
13:45
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones dies at 91
Quincy Jones, a titan of American entertainment who worked with stars from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and Will Smith, has died aged...
13:30
Rain expected in some parts of Armenia on Monday
Rain is forecast for some parts of Armenia on Monday, with snow set to hit the country’s mountainous areas. Clear weather is expected...
13:04
At least 10 killed after volcano erupts in Indonesia
At least 10 people have been killed after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia in the early hours of Monday, BBC News reports, citing local...
12:46
ICRC visits Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
Employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan in October this year....
12:26
Spanish king pelted with eggs in flood-hit Valencia
Angry residents booed and threw eggs at Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they visited the Valencia region, where more than 200...
12:10
Political analyst: Azerbaijan sitting on the twine
Political analyst Stepan Danielyan has weighed in on the latest developments regarding the Ukraine conflict. In a social media post on...
11:35
Tatoyan Foundation working to expose Azerbaijan's lies about Artsakh
Specialists of the Tatoyan Foundation are doing extensive work to expose the false Azerbaijani narratives about Armenia and Artsakh...
11:16
Maia Sandu wins second term in Moldovan presidential election
Moldova's pro-Western incumbent president Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly...
11:00
Trump reiterates support for Artsakh Armenians in phone call with Catholicos Aram I
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump on Friday phoned His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of...
17:13
Public figure accuses Armenian authorities of attempting to intimidate him
Public figure Hovhannes Avetisyan, an expert in public finance management, accused the Armenian authorities of repression and crackdown on their...
16:34
Iran's supreme leader threatens Israel and US with 'crushing response'
Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its...
16:15
Armenia offers condolences to Serbia over tragic collapse at railway station
Armenia has extended condolences to Serbia following the tragic collapse at a railway station, which killed at least 14 people and...
16:00
Armenian lifter Alexander Lazaryan crowned junior European champion
Armenian weightlifter Alexander Lazaryan bagged a gold medal at the European Junior and U23 Championships being held in Raszyn, Poland, from...
15:36
Spiritual leaders urged to raise awareness on injustice against Artsakh Armenians ahead of COP29
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, His Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI of the Armenian Catholic...
15:00
Showers possible in Yerevan on Sunday
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Saturday and later next week. Rain is forecast for some parts of the country on Sunday and Monday,...
14:35
Catholicos Aram I, Ocampo discuss issues related to Artsakh
Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Friday contacted His Holiness Catholicos Aram I by...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}