Press Council: A smear campaign in the French media is unacceptable

The Press Council of Azerbaijan has issued a statement in response to agitation against Azerbaijani journalists in French media, Azernews Reports.

The statement emphasizes that campaigning against Azerbaijani journalists in French media is inadmissible.

It was noted that the smear campaign conducted in the French media against the employees of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAJ) is bad behavior and it contradicts all ethical rules and values. This unacceptable approach is nothing but a weak attempt to justify the restriction of freedom of speech.

"As is known, AZERTAGE employee Aygun Huseynova was sent to the French colony of New Caledonia on 3 December this year to cover the liberation movement of the local population. However, at the airport, she was not allowed to enter the territory allegedly because she did not have a visa. The journalist was threatened with arrest. Such an unlawful act caused serious discontent in Azerbaijani media.

It seems that all this, as well as the fact that unacceptable behavior in New Caledonia was widely reflected in the world media, prompted the French ruling circles to look for an "argument". This is the only way to assess the "black PR" campaign against AZERTAGE staff and to brand them as "spies".

The Press Council declares that there were no illegal actions in the activities of our country's media representatives. They have legitimate human and social motives in their desire to publicize the struggle of the people of New Caledonia for freedom. The failure of the New Caledonia police to take this into account and to create an artificial barrier to the activities of our journalists is a clear disregard for freedom of expression, which is considered an integral part of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

It should be noted that the injustice against our journalist was also condemned by the President of the political party "Caledonian Union" Daniel Goa who expressed support for the representatives of our media.

In such a situation, the attempt to discredit Azerbaijani journalists in French media once again confirms the intention of the country's government to hide its despotic nature. The aim is clear: to prevent the dissemination of the truth about the peoples under colonial yoke, including the people of New Caledonia.

The Press Council of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the smear campaign conducted in the French media against the staff of AZERTAGE and the dissemination of provocative information. The Council considers this an anti-democratic step, intolerant of freedom of speech and states that this approach contradicts both ethical values and the historically progressive nature of French statehood.

It is a pity that the country's current President Emmanuel Macron and his autocratic administration are too paralyzed to think about the damage that primitive political games at the level of free speech are doing to the country. The Council calls on the world's media community to raise its voice in protest against the unacceptable actions of the French authorities."