Respect for press freedom should be a condition for relations between  France and Azerbaijan - RSF

ArmInfo. The organization Reporters Without Borders  (RSF) calls on the European leaders to build relations with  Azerbaijan, taking into account the respect and freedom of the press.

According to the Baku agency Turan, the RSF statement says in part:  "President Aliyev continues his advancement in Europe, although the  level of violations of press freedom in his country has never been so  high. The time has come for the leaders of Europe to determine the  development of their relations with Azerbaijan, taking into account  Baku's compliance with its international obligations with respect to  fundamental rights." The immediate release of journalists who are  illegally detained and the cessation of the prosecution of  independent media should be on the list of these conditions," the  document says.

It is noted that in Azerbaijan, meanwhile, the last independent  journalists continue to be suppressed, in a country that ranks 163rd  out of 180 countries in the RSF press freedom index.

The latest victims of the authorities were Afgan Sadygov, editor of  the news site Azel.tv in the southeastern city of Jalilabad. He was  released in May, after 18 months in prison on a fabricated charge, he  was very active in social networks and announced that he was going to  resume his reportage, but was arrested on July 6. After searching for  him for five days, his family and his lawyers finally found that he  was sentenced to 30 days of arrest for hooliganism and "resistance to  the police.

Another offensive against the latest sources of criticism was caused  by the tragic events in the western city of Ganja, where the  attempted assassination of the mayor on July 3 led to unrest, as a  result of which on July 10 two policemen were killed. Four news sites  were immediately blocked by order of the General Prosecutor's Office  without reference to the courts.

The authorities have already blocked access to the leading  independent news sites since March 2017. They also strangled all the  most popular media financially or shut them down by force, and  criminalized the activities of NGOs that support the media. At least  eleven journalists and two bloggers are currently detained in  connection with their reporting. Not content with the elimination of  all pluralism in the media at home, Aliyev no longer hesitates to  pursue his media critics after they fled abroad, noted in the  document.