Case History: Emin Milli
Members of the independent Azerbaijani news network Meydan TV have been subjected to serious harassment by the Azerbaijani authorities.
The acts of harassment took place in the immediate aftermath of the closing of the 2015 European Games in Baku. The Azerbaijani government was highly criticised by international civil society and mass media before and during the games, for the ongoing crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan.
Emin Milli is an Azerbaijani human rights defender, journalist and founder of Meydan TV, an alternative television channel he founded in 2013 to provide independent reporting on news and human rights issues from Azerbaijan. In December 2014, the Baku office of Meydan TV was closed due to increasing security concerns, and its operations transferred to Berlin, from where Emin Milli currently carries out his human rights work. Prior to and during the European Games, Meydan TV reported on corruption, mass media restrictions and the ongoing crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan.
Members of the independent Azerbaijani news network Meydan TV have been subjected to serious harassment by the Azerbaijani authorities.
On 26 June 2015, threats were made against the news agency's founder, Berlin-based human rights defender and journalist Mr Emin Milli, by a member of the Azerbaijani Government. On 30 June 2015, journalists working with Meydan TV, Ms Ayten Alekperova and Messrs Natig Dzhavadly, Elnur Mukhtarov and Shirin Abbasov, were prevented from leaving Azerbaijan and informed of a travel ban against them.
On 26 June 2015, Emin Milli reported that he had received threats through an intermediary on behalf of the Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sport, Mr Azad Rahimov, in connection with his critical reporting on the 2015 European Games and human rights violations in Azerbaijan. According to the human rights defender, the message from Rahimov was as follows:
"What harm has [the] Azerbaijani state done to you? We will get you wherever you are and the state will punish you for this smear-campaign against the state that you have organized. You will be punished for this. You will not be able to walk freely in Berlin or anywhere else. You must know this".
On 30 June 2015, Natig Dzhavadly, Elnur Mukhtarov, Ayten Alekperova and Shirin Abbasov, were prevented from leaving Azerbaijan, where they had been working for Meydan TV, most recently reporting on the 2015 European Games. As they attempted to reach Georgia by train, they were stopped at the Azerbaijani border and prevented from further travel. The journalists were then informed that an official travel ban is in place against them.
The acts of harassment took place in the immediate aftermath of the closing of the 2015 European Games in Baku. The Azerbaijani government was highly criticised by international civil society and mass media before and during the games, for the ongoing crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan.
