PCA: Arrested Sputnik editors accused of breaking law, not targeted for journalism

The Press Council of Azerbaijan (PCA) has criticised attempts by the Russian Union of Journalists and certain Russian media figures to frame the arrests of Sputnik Azerbaijan’s chief Igor Kartavykh and senior editor Yevgeny Belousov as a freedom of speech issue.

In a statement released following a board meeting, the Council rejected what it described as "manipulation of journalistic standards" and warned against misleading the international community before the completion of the ongoing investigation, Caliber.Az reports.

The meeting was held to discuss the letter sent by the Russian Union of Journalists to foreign journalistic and human rights organisations, which condemned the arrests and appealed for international attention.

In response, the Azerbaijani Press Council issued its own statement to international institutions in both Russian and English, underlining that the situation should not be misconstrued as a freedom of speech violation.

Council chairman Rashad Majid reiterated that portraying the arrests as politically motivated was unacceptable and that the case should be viewed within the framework of Azerbaijani law. The Council emphasised that the detained individuals were not targeted because of their journalistic work.

During the session, participants also criticised what they called persistent anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric in segments of the Russian media, including Sputnik Azerbaijan, which has reportedly maintained a biased editorial stance since 2022. Members of the Council noted that the agency had repeatedly breached journalistic ethics and standards.

Mushfig Alasgarli, head of the PCA’s International Relations Committee, pointed to a broader pattern of Russian media portraying Azerbaijan negatively, including during the 44-day war in 2020, which some Russian outlets reportedly characterised as an act of occupation. He also recalled that in 2022, Azerbaijani media outlets were blocked in Russia—something that Baku did not reciprocate during wartime.

The Council dismissed allegations that the arrests of Kartavykh and Belousov were politically driven, describing such claims as distortions. It stated that legal procedures were ongoing and conclusions should only be drawn after the investigation concludes.

The Azerbaijani statement has reportedly angered some in the Russian media sector. Dmitry Kiselyov, Director General of Rossiya Segodnya, was named among those critical of the PCA’s position. Council members suggested Kiselyov's dismissal of the Azerbaijani statement as insignificant was indicative of potential further media manipulation on the Russian side.

Despite this, PCA board members expressed confidence that the international community would assess the situation objectively and would not allow freedom of speech concerns to be used as a tool to pressure Azerbaijan.

On June 30, Azerbaijani authorities detained Igor Kartavykh, head of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov over alleged illegal ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The arrests follow a police operation targeting the Baku office of the Russian state-run media outlet. 

Despite a prior government order to suspend operations, Sputnik Azerbaijan reportedly continued working, prompting the raid. The detentions come amid Azerbaijan’s broader effort to limit foreign media presence and enforce a bilateral agreement capping the number of Russian state media correspondents to match Azerbaijan’s representation in Russia.

By Aghakazim Guliyev