Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC has issued a statement in connection with attack on personnel of AzTV channel (owned by the CJSC) during filming of protest rallies in France, Azernews reports.

According to the statement, as a result (of the attack), the reporter and cameraman were injured, and the camera was taken away and broken. When the AzTV employees demanded the return of the camera, they were threatened with a weapon.

In the statement, Azerbaijan TV and Radio Broadcasting CJSC strongly condemned the incident, considering it not only as pressure on Azerbaijani journalists, but also as suppression of freedom of speech and expression in general, and free journalistic activity.

"We demand French law enforcement agencies to objectively investigate this incident, identify and punish those who committed an armed attack on journalists, and take the necessary measures to compensate for the damage," the company said.

The protests began after the murder of a 17-year-old teenager who disobeyed an order of the traffic police in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre in the province of Ile-de-France.