Press Council: A Smear Campaign In The French Media Is Unacceptable
Date
12/13/2023 2:23:24 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Abbas Ganbay Read more
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."
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