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Viewing cable 09BAKU360, AZERBAIJAN: POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST ANS TV

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09BAKU360 2009-05-01 09:55 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Baku
VZCZCXRO4209
PP RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHKB #0360/01 1210955
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 010955Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1137
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES  PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3363
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1320
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM AJ
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST ANS TV 
JOURNALISTS 
 
Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Robert Garverick, for reaso 
ns 1.4 b and d. 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: On April 27 three employees of ANS TV 
channel were subject to physical attack while investigating a 
story of the destruction of a mosque.  The reporters' 
equipment was damaged during the struggle.  The incident 
sparked outrage both among some government officials and from 
domestic NGOs.  In a rare sign of accountability from the 
GOAJ, however, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) 
investigated the incident and has compensated ANS for its 
damaged equipment.  While the attack is typical of the ways 
in which many local officials treat media representatives, 
the investigation and compensation is an encouraging sign 
from higher levels of the GOAJ.  It remains to be seen 
whether GOAJ officials will be any more responsive to press 
inquiries in the future. END SUMMARY 
 
2.  (SBU) On April 27 three employees of the ANS TV channel- 
Nidjat Suleymanova, correspondent, Elmin Muradov, camera 
operator, and Azer Balayev, cooperative control officer ) 
faced physical abuse and harassment by Yasamal District 
police officers.  The journalists had addressed several 
questions to Mohubbat Huseynov, the Chief of the Yasamal 
Police Office about the reason for the destruction of the 
recently constructed Prophet Muhammad mosque in the area, 
which allegedly was the subject of a property dispute 
(septel).  However, after refusing to give any comments, the 
Police Chief ordered the confiscation of their camera and a 
video cassette.  According to the journalists, some 30 police 
officers roughed up the correspondents and confiscated the 
camera and the cassette.  The police later returned the 
broken camera, but not the cassette. 
 
3.  (SBU) The event sparked statements of concern from 
government officials.  During the parliamentary session on 
Tuesday, April 28, members of the Milli Majlis (parliament) 
expressed their concern about the incident.  They said that 
violence against mass media workers damaged the country's 
reputation worldwide.  In addition, Elmira Suleymanova, the 
Human Rights Ombudswoman, addressed a request to 
Colonel-General Ramil Usubov, Minister of Internal Affairs, 
to investigate the case thoroughly and to take relevant 
measures against those who used violence against the 
journalists.  She mentioned that violence and insult against 
journalists were not acceptable. 
 
4.  (SBU) NGOs have also condemned the attack.  The Media 
Rights Institute released a statement in connection with the 
incident, saying that every journalist has an undeniable 
right of free access to information sources.  The statement 
also stresses that the Yasamal District police officers who 
failed to take in to account the journalists' rights in their 
conduct seriously violated the Constitution of the country, 
as well as the law on mass media.  The Institute further said 
such action was the indication of the brutal attitude against 
freedom of speech and media freedom in Azerbaijan, and called 
on the MIA to take adequate measures against the offenders. 
 
5.  (SBU) Two days later the Minister of Internal Affairs 
established a commission to investigate the incident.  Both 
parties gave testimony and the damage to the ANS TV property 
in the amount of AZN 1770 (approximately 2215 USD) was 
compensated by the MIA.  The video cassette confiscated by 
the policemen during the incident was returned to ANS the 
following day; however the recording of this particular 
incident was deleted. 
 
6.  (C) ANS was in contact with the Embassy's press office 
from the morning following the incident, but the station 
managers have asked the Embassy simply to monitor the case, 
rather than speak out in public.  Station Director Seyfulla 
Mustafayev told an Embassy employee that the National 
Television and Radio Council (NTRC) Chairman Nushirvan 
Maharramli had warned ANS to "stay out of the government's 
business" and not escalate the story unless they wanted to 
face another closure, reminiscent of the 2006 shut down of 
the station, which remains the most independent of 
Azerbaijan's largely compliant television media. 
 
7.  (C) Following Maharramli's discussion with ANS, Yasamal 
Police Station Chief Huseynov contacted ANS and suggested 
 
BAKU 00000360  002 OF 002 
 
 
that if they kept his offer quiet, he would compensate them 
for the monetary damages, assuring them that he will always 
be a friend of journalists.  His offer preceded the 
Ministry's formal compensation process. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8.  (C) While the attack is typical of the ways in which 
local officials in Azerbaijan treat media representatives, 
the investigation and compensation of ANS is an encouraging 
sign from higher levels of the GOAJ.  The GOAJ continues to 
imprison journalists for peacefully exercising their right to 
freedom of expression, however, and a serious of vicious 
physical assaults against journalist remains unpunished with 
little to no investigation.  Therefore, it remains to be seen 
whether this case indicates a new direction in the MIA's 
openness to the media, or is simply a one-off decision based 
on the large public attention paid to this case. 
LU