Azerbaijan's media faces threats and attacks

Ayten Mammadova at her residence after the attack. Image via Meydan TV.

It is not surprising to journalists in Azerbaijan that two men have been arrested by French police for the crime of killing an Azeri blogger in Nantes, France.

Reporting critical of authorities frequently results in attacks, and a failure to bring perpetrators to justice adds to the deterioration, say journalists and analysts.

The reporting of crime, corruption, human rights abuses or allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the government can lead to attacks or pressure, with orders appearing to come from high up, VOA reported. The risks are exacerbated by a culture of impunity.

An assailant attacked journalist Ayten Mammadova last month in her apartment in Baku. As the journalist entered an elevator on May 8, a man held a knife to her throat and ordered her to cease reporting on a court case.

According to Mammadova, the assailant did not indicate which case he was referring to, but she believes it is related to her reporting on a trial of a man accused of kidnapping, raping, and killing a 10-year-old girl.

The freelance journalist has been critical of the investigation and court proceedings.

In court, the man at issue asserted that he wasn't involved in the crime and had confessed after being tortured for four days, a claim denied by the prosecutor general's office.

According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), police in France arrested "two suspected hit men" about 90 km from the residence of outspoken Azeri blogger Mahammad Mirzali on Sunday morning.

RSF reports that a photograph of the blogger was found in the suspect's phone and that his address was stored in their GPS system.

Mirzali, who lives in exile, has been the victim of two knife attacks. RSF reports that he received thousands of threatening messages on social media.

According to Reporters Without Borders, pressures on independent journalists, including those in exile, and a lack of action in response to attacks against the media are among the obstacles to press freedom in Azerbaijan.

In its Press Freedom Index, the media watchdog ranked it 154th out of 180 countries where 1 is the freest.