Azerbaijan: War not Only Against NKR, but Also Against Independent Journalism

• 04.27.2016, 09:24
•  Region,  World

eulawanalysis.blogspot.com

Azerbaijan has declared war against the independent journalism. This was stated by the founder of the Meydan TV Emin Milli in an interview with EurasiaNet.org. With the same title The Washington Post published an article calling Aliyev "to learn something about the values a nation needs to succeed in the modern age." "Mr. Aliyev seems to think he can fight back with secret police and prosecutors. Perhaps Mr. Aliyev inherited these inclinations from his father," the newspaper wrote.

It should be reminded that against the Internet resource Meydan TV, which is one of the few independent media in the Azerbaijani language, a criminal investigation has been launched, and about 15 journalists are involved. As Meydan TV informs, according to the lawyer Elchin Sadigov, specific criminal charges still have not been nominated. However, the journalists are banned from leaving the country and searches are carried out and their equipment is seized. The reason of this criminal case if the investigation of Meydan TV into the protests of the population in the city of Mingachevir after a detainee threw himself from the window of the police building. Meydan TV was one of the few or the only media that covered the protests in the city and their suppression by the Azerbaijani internal forces. Thus the videos shown from the protest of citizens  became a "headache" for the Azerbaijani authorities.

In an interview with EurasiaNet.org Milli called this a declaration of war against the independent journalists. "Our only" crime " is the use of our right to freedom of expression," Milly said.

It should be noted that the Meydan TV is registered in Germany as a non-profit organization called the Association for Democracy in Azerbaijan. The office of Meydan TV is in Berlin.

Meydan TV was founded in 2013 by the former political prisoner Emin Milli. To ensure the safety of its employees in 2014, an office in Baku was closed. Milli is now in political exile in Germany, Caucasian Knot writes.

It is quite interesting that the Meydan TV actively covered the events of four-day-war on NKR-Azerbaijani border, but did not the way other Azerbaijani media did. Meydan TV was the only Azerbaijani media, which, summarizing the information collected from social networks during April 2-7, published a list of the losses of the Azerbaijani side, noting the names of all the victims and their place of burial. According to Meydan TV list the Azerbaijani side lost 81 soldiers, despite the fact that the Azeri Defense Ministry officially announced about the loss of 32 soldiers.

On his Facebook page, Emin Milli wrote that all those who supported the war these days, now do not have to believe a false military "show" of the Azerbaijani government, or other similar tales.

It is clear that the authors of such words, of such "anti-governmental" ideas in today's Azerbaijan would not be left unpunished, and the fact that the Meydan TV still continues its work is because it is located outside Azerbaijan, in Germany. As for Aliyev, then he should really listen to The Washington Post, and learn from the independent media, not only what democracy is, but also what it means to really love your country.