Azerbaijan drops to 168th in 2020 World Press Freedom Index

Azerbaijan’s media situation has consistently been assessed as “very bad”.

Azerbaijan has been ranked 168 out of 180 countries in RSF’s

2020 World Press Freedom Index

, falling 2 places lower than in 2019.

The updated World Press Freedom Index says that hopes of major reforms emerged in late 2019 after the dismissal of presidential adviser Ali Hasanov, who was considered the chief censor of the local media, “were quickly dashed in early 2020.”

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Azerbaijan’s overview in the 2020 index

“In a bid to silence journalists who continue to resist in exile, the authorities harass their family members still in Azerbaijan. They do not hesitate to reach beyond Azerbaijan’s borders," the index statement reads.

Mentioning the recent crackdown on independent voices including journalists having tried to cover snap election fraud and opposition rallies the index underlines the news websites blocked in the country. Meydan TV is included among these websites.

Azerbaijan's media situation has consistently been assessed as "very bad" in the past years and shown little to no improvement.

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