04 May 2019, 03:25
At action in Baku, journalists demand freedom of travel
In Baku, a group of journalists timed their protest action against the restriction of their right to leave Azerbaijan to the World Press Freedom Day marked on May 3. The protesters were accepted at the Prosecutor's Office and promised that soon the ban on their leaving the country would be lifted.
About ten journalists, mainly those who cooperate with the "Meydan TV" took part in the action, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports. Policemen took away posters from the journalists and destructed them, as well as tore their leaflets away from the building of the Prosecutor's Office.
"Because of the criminal case against the 'Meydan TV', we were forbidden to leave the country, because of our cooperation with this medium. At the very beginning we were given to understand that the ban had to do with our critical publications," said Ainur Elgunesh, one of the protesters.
"If they think that restrictions will make us silent, they are mistaken," said Svindj Vagifgyzy, a journalist.
Khalid Agaliev, an expert in the field of media law and a member of the Civil Society Platform, said that now an unjustified ban on leaving Azerbaijan is in force for about 30 persons.
"About half of them are NGO activists who were prohibited to leave the country in 2014, and about a dozen journalists, mainly collaborating with the 'Meydan TV', whose ban was imposed in 2015 because of the criminal case against the medium," he said.
Bans on travels abroad, as a means of political pressure, are widespread in Azerbaijan. Over the last five years, at least 30 journalists, activists and politicians have been unreasonably prohibited from travelling abroad; and they are still in this status, the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training has stated.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 3, 2019 at 09:54 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: CK correspondent
