From "Akinchi" to digital age: Azerbaijan marks 151 years of national press

Today, July 22, marks the 151st anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijan’s national press.

The foundations of Azerbaijan’s national press were laid 151 years ago, on July 22, 1875, when Hasan bey Zardabi, one of the leading representatives of the enlightenment movement of his era, launched the publication of the Akinchi newspaper.

Akinchi laid the cornerstone of a truly national, democratic and public press in the Azerbaijani language. Although only 56 issues of the newspaper were published, it became a reflection of the people and a standard-bearer of Azerbaijani journalism.

In the years that followed, newspapers and magazines such as Ziya, Kashkul, Sharqi-Rus, Irshad and Molla Nasraddin, published by prominent intellectuals, carried forward the traditions established by Akinchi. Their primary objective was to combat ignorance and injustice while promoting enlightenment.

The Azerbaijani press, which has followed a rich and honorable path, has passed through several stages of development. During the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the foundations of a free press and a new approach to covering events were established.

The next stage began after the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was occupied by the Bolsheviks. Seventy years of the 151-year history of the national press were associated with communist dictatorship. During that period, the Azerbaijani press largely addressed existing problems indirectly, as the media functioned as a mouthpiece for Soviet policy and ideology. Independent thinking and alternative viewpoints were prohibited.

From the second half of the 1990s, the Azerbaijani press entered a new phase of development. This period coincided with the strengthening of Azerbaijani statehood and democratic state-building. National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who laid the foundations for this new stage, consistently emphasised the role of the press in society and took measures to safeguard freedom of speech and the press while strengthening the material and technical capacities of media outlets.

The first decree concerning the Azerbaijani press in the period of independence was also signed by Heydar Aliyev. Overall, the National Leader issued more than 10 orders and decrees aimed at resolving challenges facing the press. In 1999, the Law on Mass Media, which met international standards, was adopted. Censorship in Azerbaijan was abolished under Heydar Aliyev’s decree dated August 6, 1998.

Freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the development of the media continue to receive attention and support at the highest level. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a number of important orders aimed at promoting the development of free media, strengthening the material and technical base of the press, and improving the social and economic conditions of journalists.

During the 44-day Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan secured victory not only on the battlefield but also in the information sphere. Forces that regularly conducted smear campaigns against the country continued their activities throughout that period. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan, which liberated its historical lands from occupation and fought for truth and justice, also prevailed in the information war.

At the same time, two representatives of the Azerbaijani media became victims of Armenian terror. After the end of the Patriotic War, on June 4, 2021, a vehicle carrying journalists who were filming in the liberated territories struck an anti-tank mine in the area of Susuzlug village in the Kalbajar district. As a result, Azertag correspondent Maharram Ibrahimov, AzTV cameraman Siraj Abishov and Arif Aliyev, deputy representative of the head of the Kalbajar District Executive Authority for the Susuzlug village administrative district, were killed, while four other people were injured.

On June 14, President Ilham Aliyev posthumously awarded Siraj Abish oghlu Abishov, Arif Aghalar oghlu Aliyev and Maharram Ali oghlu Ibrahimov the 3rd Degree Order “For Service to Motherland”.

On July 22, 2021 — National Press Day — President Ilham Aliyev presented apartments to the families of martyred journalists Maharram Ibrahimov and Siraj Abishov.