The president of Azerbaijan does not like when journalists receive money from abroad. But the two decades of his rule in the country created unbearable conditions for the independent press, and journalists had to look for sponsors in Europe.
Now it has become illegal, and dozens of journalists have been jailed, and the number of political prisoners in the country has exceeded 300, writesBBC:the
When the UN climate summit began in Baku in November 2024, some hoped that the arrival of foreigners and Azerbaijan's desire to "seem welcoming" to the world would prompt the authorities to release dozens of journalists jailed that year. during.
Others claimed that, on the contrary, arrests would continue after the summit. The latter were right.
According to the Union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan", there are already more than 300 political prisoners in the country.
Among them are journalists, human rights defenders, party activists, and those who were tortured in the army. Moreover, it is noted that there have not been so many political prisoners in the country since the beginning of this century.
At first, the observers were interested in the reasons for the arrests, talked about the deterioration of relations with the USA and the February 2024 presidential elections, but later everything became clear.
Many Azerbaijani journalists who left the profession, left the country or work in foreign media, do not feel safe. Cases of attacks on journalists traveling from Azerbaijan to Georgia, France, Germany and other countries were registered.
