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National Television and Radio Council of Azerbaijan decided to temporarily suspend the broadcasting of ANS TV channel taking into account the appeal of the General Prosecutor's office, Azerbaijani news agency Trend reports.

According to the information, the decision is made with the aim of “preventing the open propaganda of terrorism and diversion directed at the worsening of the strategic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey.”

“ANS, an independent broadcasting and media company, has taken a position contradicting the spirit of brotherhood and strategic collaboration relations between the Azerbaijani and Turkish nations; it has conducted propaganda against the Turkish state and power, supported Fethullah Gulen and his associates known in that country as a terroristic organization, which organized bloody events causing the death of many people,” the statement of the council reads.

It is noted that in its reports and interviews, ANS TV channel sought to present the events in Turkey to the Azerbaijani society as a show organized by the Turkish authorities and discredit the measures taken by them. Moreover, ANS reporter in the US interviewed Fethullah Gulen, who is suspected of organizing the coup in Turkey. The interview was announced through local and foreign media.
“Despite numerous warnings, ANS TV channel continued propagating terrorism. The Turkish authorities and the country’s embassy appealed to Azerbaijan’s state structures expressing deep concern with regard to the issue, and asked them to take corresponding measures,” the council emphasizes in the statement.

Meanwhile, Haqqin.az reports that Vahid Mustafayev and Mirshahin Agayev – the president of the Production of ANS Group of Companies and the vice president of ANS TV channel  respectively – were detained to testify in the Department on Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan.
Reportedly, the employees of Police Department of Sabail district of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and General Prosecutor’s Office sealed the ANS TV company’s office. A criminal case under the article “propaganda of terrorism” has been filed against the TV company’s executives.

On the night of July 16, a coup attempt was organized in Turkey under the slogan of reestablishment of the constitutional order and human rights in the country. In Ankara, the Turkish army’s helicopters attacked the state buildings, in particular, the General Staff and the intelligence headquarters. Tanks appeared in the streets of the capital, and bridges over the Bosporus were blocked in Istanbul. The group of military personnel that had declared a revolution could not isolate either the president or the Prime Minister of the country, and the authorities had taken the situation under control by the morning. Overall, the authorities detained over 6 thousand people for participating in the revolution attempt. Accordingtopreliminarydata, 290 peoplediedintheclashes.

Ankara accused the US-based Turkish writer, former imam and preacher Fethullah Gulen of organizing the putsch. Turkish president Recep Erdogan called on the US president Barack Obama to extradite him to Ankara. Gulen denied his involvement in the coup attempt and even stated that the rebellion could have been staged by the government of the country.

FethullahGülen is the leader of the religious-philosophical sectNur. He also owns large industrial and financial companies and holdings worldwide. Gülen owns a large network of schools and educational institutions. In 1998, Gülenwas accused of attempting to overthrow the existing regime in secular Turkey. At the same time avoiding the punishment, he immigrated to the United States. When the AKP came to power all charges against him were dropped. Turkish Prime Minister R. T. Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party are accused of having ties to Gülen. According to various estimates, about five million people in Turkey and abroad (particularly in Azerbaijan and Central Asia) are involved in the Gülen movement.

In 2014, official circles in Turkey have provided the Azerbaijani government a list of high-ranking officials of Azerbaijan in the administration of President IlhamAliyev and the Azerbaijani government, which include or are related with such religious direction, as Nursizm.The list of officials recruited by the sect of FethullahGülen include, the head of Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan ElnurAslanov, SOCAR vice president KhaligMammadov, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations ElshadIsgandarov, his deputy GunduzIsmailov, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister IntigamBabayev, MP JeyhunOsmanli, CSR Director under the Presidential Administration FarhadMammadov, Chairman of the Youth Foundation FarhadHajiyev.