A Call for Azerbaijan to Investigate Recent Violence Against Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York, has called on Azerbaijan to investigate the police violence against media representatives.

“Since June 22, Azerbaijani police have detained, beaten, threatened, or otherwise obstructed at least six journalists covering environmental protests in the Soyudlu village,” the statement notes.

According to media reports, following the protests against a gold mine in Soyudlu village on June 20, the police restricted access to the village from June 22, allowing only local residents and representatives of pro-government media to enter.

For journalists attempting to enter the village through other routes, Azerbaijani police have used brute force, demanding they delete recordings made on their phones and threatening reprisals against their family members and relatives.

“Responses to letters sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Baku City Police, and the police departments of Yasamal, Binagadi, and Nizami districts have not been received,” the statement adds.