The Press Council of Azerbaijan calls on the Armenian Media Ethics Council to jointly take a stand against hate speech.
21 March 2023
According to the Press Council (PC) of Azerbaijan, the Armenian YouTube channel "Noyan Tapan" made insulting statements about the Novruz tradition of Azerbaijanis as part of their "Soft Power" program. In response, Azerbaijani journalist Fardin Isazade spread a satirical video about Armenians in an unacceptable manner.
"The journalist should never forget his mission to objectively inform society," the Press Council notes, "and must consider the risk of ambiguous reactions to expressed opinions."
"Instead of expressing ideas that could be characterized as a call to violence, Isazade should have explained the true nature of the celebration of Novruz, shown that the material of the Armenian YouTube channel is absurd, and stated that such behavior by the media impedes the achievement of strong peace between the peoples of the region," the Press Council believes.
Criticizing Isazade's "personal approach" to the problem, the Press Council emphasizes that "Azerbaijani media did not share this video and did not give it any informational content," since the author's statements contradict the country's legislation. Article 13-2.3.2 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information" prohibits the propaganda of violence and religious extremism, calls for inciting national, racial, or religious hatred and enmity. "Such behavior is unacceptable from the point of view of the Code of Ethics of Azerbaijani Journalists. It is specified in it that 'a journalist should not condemn people for their national or racial affiliation, as well as sex, language, profession, religion, place of residence or birth,'" the statement from the PC reads.
The Press Council, addressing the representatives of the media of Azerbaijan, urges them to seriously consider the "degree of sensitivity" of their materials that touch on interethnic conflicts. The Council also recommends that citizens take this factor into account when sharing media materials on social networks, and show caution and selectivity.
The Azerbaijani Press Council draws attention to the fact that propaganda of violence against Azerbaijanis is also often observed in the materials of Armenian journalists. They often give preference not to peaceful dialogue, but to calls for hatred. The Press Council calls on the Armenian Media Ethics Observatory to support its initiative and take a principled position: "We hope that the Armenian Media Ethics Observatory will also pay attention to the problem mentioned, make efforts to reduce, and in the future eliminate humiliating attitudes and angry statements towards the Azerbaijani people and state in the Armenian media."
