Azerbaijani Parliament vows action against Global Witness and BBC over disinformation on COP29

The Commission on Countering External Interference and Hybrid Threats of the Milli Majlis has announced its intention to approach authorized state bodies for a thorough investigation into the illegal activities of the international NGO Global Witness and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

According to a statement from the Commission, this move comes in response to the so-called "investigation" conducted by Global Witness, which was supported by the BBC and widely disseminated in the media, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The Commission stated that the aim of the publications by Global Witness, which mention COP29 Executive Director Elnur Soltanov, is to mislead the international community and undermine the upcoming climate conference in Baku.

The statement reads: "The Commission, in collaboration with relevant authorities, conducted an investigation and discovered that on September 13 this year, Elnur Soltanov indeed held talks via Zoom with an individual who identified himself as Stephen Lee, a representative of a company from Hong Kong. However, the other party failed to inform Soltanov that the meeting was being recorded."

The Commission also condemned the methods employed by Global Witness, which it described as "incompatible with the generally accepted principles of non-governmental organizations, resembling more the tactics of intelligence services and carrying legal implications."

The statement further highlighted that Global Witness used illegal cyber fraud tactics, including the creation of a fictitious company, "EC Capital Holdings," its website (www.eccapitalholdings.com), and a fake LinkedIn profile for "Steven Lee." By exploiting the trust of officials and engaging with the COP29 team, Global Witness became part of a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting Azerbaijan ahead of COP29.

The Commission added that Global Witness' actions were supported by the BBC, which published an article titled "COP29 chief secretly filmed promoting fossil fuel deals".

"The article openly acknowledges that Global Witness filmed the conversation secretly. However, in violation of impartial journalism standards, the publication only shared partial footage, thus manipulating the information," the statement continued.

The Commission on Countering External Interference and Hybrid Threats deems the actions of Global Witness and the BBC as a hybrid attack and intends to apply to relevant state bodies for a deeper investigation into the matter.

By Tamilla Hasanova