NEWS

Ten times the Azerbaijani president told us how much he loves press freedom
Don't be fooled by the fact that journalists in Azerbaijan have been jailed, beaten, killed, and forced into hiding and exile, and their foreign colleagues banned from entering the country: Ilham Aliyev is all about media freedom
11 Jun 15
Demotix - PanARMENIAN Photo

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (Photo: PanArmenian / Demotix)

Demotix - PanARMENIAN Photo

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (Photo: Demotix)

Critical Azerbaijani journalists may have been jailed, beaten, killed, and forced into hiding and exile. Foreign journalists may have been banned from entering the country for the inaugural European Games in the capital Baku. But don’t worry: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sure loves press freedom — at least according to his tweets.

1) HUNDREDS, you hear!

2) For those who can get in for the European Games, anyway.

3) All of the freedoms are available.

4) No, seriously, ALL OF THEM.

5) I really can’t stress this enough.

6) Free media = democracy. Azerbaijan definitely has both of those things. Definitely.

7) And the best way to forge active relationships is by banning them from entering the country. Obviously.

8) Again, activity is key.

9) Strengthening, targeting. Potato, potato.

10) …to jail.

This article was posted on 11 June, 2015 at indexoncensorship.org

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At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.

But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.

If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.

Make a £20 monthly donation

At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.

But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.

If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.

Make a £10 one-off donation

At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.

But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.

If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.

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At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.

But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.

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