Out of 159 journalists imprisoned in European countries, 30 are in Azerbaijan.
The Council of Europe’s Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists has released its annual report.
The report titled “2024: Confronting Political Pressure, Disinformation, and the Erosion of Media Independence” published on March 5, reveals that Azerbaijan ranks second in Europe in terms of the number of journalists in prison, following Belarus. As of December 31 last year, there were 159 journalists imprisoned in Europe. Of these, 44 were in Belarus, 30 in Azerbaijan, 29 in Russia (28 of whom were in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine), 27 in Turkey, and one in Georgia.
The report states that the “Law on Media” in Azerbaijan continues to suppress press freedom and must be urgently revised.
Another significant concern raised in the report is the growing use of spyware as a threat to journalists’ safety and the confidentiality of their sources. Surveillance of journalists is widespread and increasingly difficult to detect. In 2024 incidents of spyware use were recorded in three countries.
The platform’s partners, which include the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, have issued a series of recommendations. These include calls for stronger legal protections for journalists, measures to combat disinformation, and steps to prevent media capture and surveillance. Governments have been urged to enhance protections against threats and persecutions, thus supporting press freedom.
According to the report, the countries that were in focus in 2024 were Georgia, Italy, and Slovakia. Among these, Georgia saw the highest increase in alerts related to press freedom issues. Last year, numerous journalists faced violence during the country’s elections and subsequent protest actions.
The report further mentions the arrest of journalist Afgan Sadigov in November 2024 and the decision to extradite him to Azerbaijan. Sadigov, the founder and editor-in-chief of the “Azel TV” website, faces accusations of demanding money in Azerbaijan. The Georgian authorities refused to grant him political asylum. He had previously been convicted in Azerbaijan for causing harm with the intent of hooliganism, though he maintains that the case was fabricated.
Since November 2023, nearly 30 journalists and public activists in Azerbaijan have been imprisoned on charges of smuggling. Many of these individuals dispute the charges, claiming they are linked to their professional activities and political orders. Later on, the charges against many of them were intensified.
According to lists prepared by local human rights organizations, there are currently over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijani prisons. Officials, however, generally emphasize that no one is imprisoned solely for their professional activities based on political reasons. They claim that those listed are held accountable solely for the actions they committed.
