Azerbaijani activists demand to stop pressing media

In Azerbaijan, the independent journalists and bloggers who expose corruption are under pressure and persecution, the participants of the conference on the state of media in the country have stated. The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has called on Azerbaijani authorities to stop repressions, release journalists and bloggers from jails and start reforming the legislation on the freedom of the media.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Council of Europe's Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Journalists' Safety has stated that threats to the media freedom have intensified in Azerbaijan.

No society can be free without free media, Tofig Yagublu, a former journalist and now a member of the oppositional National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) has stated.

Chingiz Sultansoy, a journalist, believes that main Azerbaijan's problems are "low quality of education" and "passivity of the society." However, in his opinion, the events in Ukraine can lead to a new wave of democratization in the world, which may give chances for changes in Azerbaijan as well.

Avtandil Mamedov, a human rights defender, who was forced to emigrate from Azerbaijan to Georgia, has noted that in recent years, pressure on journalists outside the country has intensified and "cases of physical attacks have frequented."

Mekhman Guseinov, a journalist, believes that the situation with the freedom of speech in Azerbaijan has dropped to a critical level.

Ilkin Rustamzade, a writer, has expressed concern about "the low-quality propaganda in social networks" that seriously harms the development of critical thinking among young people.

The most serious threat should be considered the repressive law on media adopted in late 2021, Mehhman Aliev, the director of the "Turan" News Agency, has stated.