Azerbaijan Press Council condemns attack on AzTV film crew in France

The Azerbaijan Press Council has issued a statement in connection with the July 28 attack in France on the film crew of the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC (AzTV).

“The attack on the employees of Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC in France is the result of intolerance to freedom of speech and expression of opinion. This is not the first time in France that there have been cases of restrictions on the activities of journalists performing their professional duties, violence against them. AzTV employees also encountered a similar incident while on duty. The correspondent and cameraman of the TV channel received minor injuries, while their cameras were confiscated. Threats followed attempts to return the camera,” Report quotes the Council as saying in a statement.

“The Azerbaijan Press Council strongly condemns this incident. The organization calls on the French authorities to give a legal assessment of the fact of clear interference in the performance of their professional duties by Azerbaijani journalists, to take the necessary steps towards identifying and bringing to justice those responsible. The Council also calls on the leading organizations in Europe and the world, specializing in the protection of freedom of speech, media rights, to keep this issue in the spotlight and show solidarity,” the statement reads.

The Press Council states that such treatment of AzTV employees is an infringement on freedom of speech and expression, which are considered an important component of fundamental human rights and freedoms, and a restriction of the right to receive information.

“The perpetrators must be brought to justice without fail so that such events do not happen again in the future,” it stressed.

In addition, commenting on the matter, Rashad Majid, the Press Council chairman of Azerbaijan, said that pressure on journalists is unacceptable: "We are concerned about the incident. The Press Council will issue a statement on the matter in the coming hours.”

The journalists of AzTV were attacked during the filming in France. The television correspondent and cameraman were slightly injured as a result of the attack. The attackers took away the cameraman's camera and broke it.