“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
Government tightly controls media in Azerabaijan and right of free speech is limited. Media attempting to criticize government are subjected to pressure, including bans.
Similarly, opposition and independent journalists face persecution, are arrested on fabricated charges and threatened with the disclosure of their personal data. In other words, "freedom of the press" in Azerbaijan continues to be an abstract concept. Apart from journalists, the right to freedom of speech of ordinary citizens is also restricted.
The issue of media unfreedom is clearly reflected in the annual reports of reputable international organizations. Such organizations include Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which deals with press freedom issues worldwide, the international human rights organization Freedom House, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
According to RSF's 2024 report, Azerbaijan ranks 164th out of 180 countries in the press freedom index. The organization emphasizes that in Azerbaijan, all media outlets, including television channels and radio, operate under state control, and there is no independent channel or radio station. All newspapers with a critical view have been closed. The most famous opposition media outlets, "Azadliq" and "Meydan TV," are blocked in Azerbaijan and operate from abroad.
According to RSF, media outlets and their journalists attempting to publish critical content about the authorities are subjected to pressure and discrimination. Opposition journalists have limited access to information, as state institutions do not respond to their inquiries, and authorities threaten to publish personal information through their subordinate media outlets to silence them. In contrast to the opposition, pro-government media receive financial rewards and other material support, essentially bribes. The government's control over the advertising sector also hinders the existence of independent media, and cooperation with foreign donors is prohibited.
The organization notes that over the past 20 years, Azerbaijan has tightened media laws. In February 2022, the authorities adopted a law legalizing censorship. Additionally, any user criticizing the government on Facebook, YouTube, or other social media platforms is panished.
Journalists who oppose Azerbaijani authorities and ignore their threats are imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to violence by law enforcement agencies. The latter bear no criminal responsibility for their actions. Reporters Without Borders notes that not only is journalists' safety not guaranteed in Azerbaijan, but their relatives are also persecuted. Moreover, journalists face persecution even outside of Azerbaijan.
Another reputable organization, Freedom House, also classifies Azerbaijan as a "not free" country. "Constitutional guarantees for press freedom are routinely and systematically violated, as the government works to maintain a tight grip on the information landscape," the organization writes in its 2024 report. It adds that legal changes allow the government to block websites without a court order. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies monitor phone conversations and online communications of journalists, opposition activists, and politicians. Wiretapping is carried out by infecting phones and computers with spyware. One such program is the Israeli "Pegasus".
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed in 2021 that more than 40 Azerbaijani journalists and activists and their family members (over 1000 Azerbaijani phone numbers) were targeted via the "Pegasus". This Israeli program provides access to phone calls, all information on the phone, including photos and videos. The program also allows taking photos and videos without the user's knowledge. In this way, Azerbaijani authorities managed to obtain journalists' personal data and blackmail them, in some cases publishing personal and intimate videos and photos.
Despite international criticism, this practice of Azerbaijani authorities has become more sophisticated, incorporating new manifestations of restrictions on freedom of speech.
We will address specific cases of journalist persecution in more detail in subsequent articles.