Azerbaijan.US
The Azerbaijani authorities have blocked the news website Reportyor.info, which had periodically published critical reporting about certain government officials.
The move followed a lawsuit filed by the Media Development Agency, with the Sumgayit Court of Appeal ruling in favor of the agency and ordering the site’s activities to be halted.
According to the Media Development Agency, the website violated the Law on Media by operating without registration in the official media registry. This, the agency said, served as the legal basis for blocking the resource.
The decision, however, has drawn criticism from members of the journalistic community. Some media professionals argue that formal legal grounds are being used selectively, while deeper systemic issues in the media sector remain unaddressed.
Critics note that registration in the media registry does not, in itself, guarantee compliance with journalistic standards, and question why pressure appears to be directed primarily at outlets known for critical content.
Additional attention has focused on statements by Arifa Aliyeva, editor-in-chief of Reportyor.info, who outlined the timeline of her interactions with the Media Development Agency. She said the new Law on Media предусмотрел a six-month period for registration, with the deadline set for June 14, 2023.
“My last application was submitted on June 6 – seven days before the deadline. Prior to that, I had submitted two other applications, which were not reviewed for various reasons. The response to my final application came on June 13, just one day before the deadline, stating that I had allegedly ‘missed the deadline,’” Aliyeva said.
She described this explanation as contradictory, noting that the statutory deadline had not yet expired at the time of her final submission.
Observers critical of the decision have expressed hope that the Media Development Agency will reconsider its approach, move away from strict formalism, and return to what they say should be its core mission: fostering the development of the media environment rather than narrowing it.
