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The Committee to Protect Journalists international human rights organization alerts that the Azerbaijani government seeks order to permanently block access to five independent media outlets' websites by filing fake lawsuits.

As the source informs, the lawsuit, filed by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications, and High Technology, asks the court to order ISPs to make permanent the censorship of the websites of the independent newspaper Azadliq, the Berlin-based, online news agency Meydan TV, the Azerbaijani service of the U.S.-government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and online video channels Azerbaycan Saati and Turan TV.

Elchin Sadygov, a lawyer for Meydan TV, said that if five news websites can threaten Azerbaijan's national security, as the government claims, Azerbaijanis and the rest of the world should be deeply concerned by the country's fragility.

"If the court rules in favor of the government's demand--and that is very likely--it will allow the government to prosecute all independent journalists, saying they pose a threat to national security,” Elchin Sadygov added.

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Azerbaijani government to immediately stop the court procedure and lift a decree that has rendered the above-mentioned news agencies currently inaccessible.