The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Thursday that Azerbaijan violated an article of the Human Rights Convention that enshrines freedom of speech by shutting down several news outlets between 2017 and 2018.
The case centers on Azerbaijan’s complete blocking of the websites azadliq.org, anaxeber.az, az24saat.org, and xural.com during this period. National courts justified the block, claiming the content of these sites contained false information or was otherwise unacceptable according to Azerbaijani media laws. Furthermore, the government escalated its measures by banning distribution of content through VPN services and social media platforms.
Local media, as reported by various sources, indicated that these websites are largely independent and possibly linked to opposition parties critical of the Azerbaijani government. The applicants—owners and administrators of the blocked websites—argued that the national decision went too far, breaching their freedom of expression, right to a fair trial, and right to an effective remedy as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.
The ECHR unanimously found that Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the Convention had been violated and instructed Azerbaijan to compensate the applicants within three months. Specifically, the court awarded 5,000 euros for each application, 1,000 euros for each additional applicant, covering legal costs and moral compensation. Other claims for just compensation were dismissed by the court.
In Azerbaijan, media activity is heavily restricted, resulting in numerous cases of violence, harassment, and arbitrary arrests, as noted in Amnesty International’s April report. After the enactment of a restrictive media law in 2022, which mandates media outlets to register with the authorities, independent media that refused to comply were shut down. The clampdown on criticism also saw an increase in politically motivated detentions, impacting government critics, journalists, and human rights defenders. The detainees include notable opposition politicians, journalists, and activists.
For more details, visit the JURIST article.