Baku TV: No evidence behind BBC allegations against Azerbaijani president's security guard PHOTO

At present, a video recording of an incident between officers of the Azerbaijani President’s security service and a group of provocatively minded individuals is being widely circulated by several Western media outlets, as well as various Russian-language media platforms.

Azerbaijani outlet Baku TV has analyzed the situation.

From the very first frames of the video, it is evident that the individuals identifying themselves as “protesters,” despite police demands to leave the area, deliberately engaged in provocative actions. A closer look makes it clear that those who allegedly came for a peaceful rally were in fact attempting to provoke members of the State Security Service responsible for protecting the head of state and to unsettle them. Slogans were broadcast through loudspeakers, which constitutes a violation of public order and provides law enforcement with legitimate grounds for intervention.

Moreover, one of the provocateurs suddenly lunged toward the security officers, attempting to break through their cordon. This created a real risk of a threat to the vehicle of the head of state.

In such a situation, officers of the State Security Service acted promptly and within the scope of their authority, fulfilling their direct official duty — ensuring the safety of the country’s first person.

The actions of the provocateurs also prompted a response from American law enforcement agencies.

The video does not show the use of tasers, firearms, or physical force aimed at causing harm to health — the intervention was limited solely to detention measures.

Thus, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that what occurred under the guise of a “protest” was premeditated and subsequently disseminated in a distorted form by several media outlets. A detailed analysis makes it evident that, in particular, the accusations put forward by the BBC against the Azerbaijani President’s state security service lack evidentiary basis. The security officers acted in accordance with established legal and professional protocols.

By Khagan Isayev