The chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council, Vugar Zifaroglu, condemned the assault on APA TV correspondent Sanan Bahramli while he was covering a fire at a timber market in Baku’s Nizami district.
Zifaroglu said the journalist had been physically attacked, insulted and prevented from carrying out his professional duties. He stressed that no one had the right to use force against journalists, interfere with their work or damage their equipment.
According to the Press Council chairman, journalists have a professional duty to gather information at the scene of incidents and report matters of public interest. Any physical interference, threats or insults directed at them undermine not only their professional rights but also the public’s right to access information.
He added that safety and order at incident scenes must be maintained in accordance with the law, without placing unjustified restrictions on journalists’ work.
Zifaroglu called on the relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation, give a legal assessment of the actions of those responsible and take appropriate measures in line with the law.
