Senior official condemns Armenia's attacks against foreign journalists

By Vafa Ismayilova

Presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev has said that Azerbaijan strongly condemns abusive attacks against journalist of Italy’s La Republica Peitro Del Re.

"Now journalist of Italian La Republica Peitro Del Re is under the abusive attack of the Armenian lobby. it was also case with TF1 and NY Times journalists who were physically threatened by Armenian lobby. We strongly condemn such attacks against free media/freedom of expression," Hajiyev wrote on his official Twitter account on 5 November.

"We call Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and OSCE media freedom to condemn and deplore physical/verbal threats/abusive personal attacks against professional journalists/media who covered objective realities of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Freedom of expression must be respected," he added.

It was earlier reported in EU sources that  France’s “TF1 and Journalist Liseron Boudoul received dozens of insulting messages on social media after broadcasting a report on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh on 22 October 2020. The report showed daily life on the Azerbaijani side of the front line. Shortly after its broadcast on the evening news, Boudoul faces a flow of hate speech and insults which lasted for several days”.

Ninety-two Azerbaijani civilians have been killed and hundreds of others have been injured in Armenia's indiscriminate missile attacks on Azerbaijani civilian settlements and cities. International human rights watchdogs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed Armenia's use of forbidden munition in attacks on Azerbaijani civilians. 

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated on September 27 when Armenian armed forces deployed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands made military provocations against Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions. The ongoing clashes mark the most intense fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached. Armenia's offensive prompted immediate Azerbaijan’s counter-attack measures.

In retaliation, Azerbaijani troops have so far liberated the occupied cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Gubadli, as well as dozens of villages, settlements and strategic heights in the districts of Tartar, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Khojavend, Zangilan, Gubadli and Kalbajar.