Azerbaijan declares activities of Iran’s Sahar TV and Mehr agency illegal

Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency, known as MEDIA, condemned a decision by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry to add state television channel AzTV to a list of “hostile media organisations” and threaten people cooperating with it with criminal prosecution.

The agency said Azerbaijan remained committed to protecting journalists’ professional activities while also applying the principle of reciprocity.

MEDIA said Article 11.4 of Azerbaijan’s media law allows the country to impose similar restrictions on journalists from states that introduce special limitations on Azerbaijani journalists included in the Media Registry.

Taking into account the law and the principle of reciprocity, the activities in Azerbaijan of Iran’s Sahar television channel, Mehr news agency and their representatives were considered illegal, the statement said.

The agency accused the Iranian media outlets of acting against Azerbaijan’s national interests and spreading propaganda against the country’s sovereignty, constitutional order, territorial integrity and national security.

MEDIA also urged media organisations and journalists operating in Azerbaijan to refrain from cooperating with Sahar, Mehr and their representatives.

“International media cooperation should be based solely on mutual respect and the professional independence of journalists,” the statement said.