Azerbaijan has ordered the BBC to close its office in the country, citing a lack of “legal grounds” for its operations. This action has been condemned by the BBC as a restriction on press freedom, with the broadcaster emphasizing that it will hinder its reporting capabilities in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is criticized for stifling media and political dissent in the region. The country is noted as one of the worst for media freedom, with authorities controlling most of the media landscape. Baku claimed that similar actions have been taken against other foreign media without providing specific details.
The government of Azerbaijan has instructed the BBC to close its office in the country, officials in Baku announced on Thursday, an action that the British broadcaster condemned as a “move against press freedom.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has faced ongoing allegations of suppressing media and persecuting political adversaries in the resource-rich Caucasus nation.
Speaking on behalf of the foreign ministry, spokesman Ayahan Hajizade stated that Baku informed the BBC there were no “legal grounds” for its representative office to function in Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Baku adheres to principles of “reciprocity.”
He did not provide additional details regarding the rationale behind the enforced closure.
In a statement, the BBC remarked: “Following oral directives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, the BBC has reluctantly decided to close its office in the country.”
“We sincerely regret this restrictive action against press freedom, which will impede our capacity to report to and from Azerbaijan for audiences both within and outside the country.”
The BBC’s Azeri language service engages an audience of approximately one million people weekly and has been operational in the region since 1994.
Hajizade accused the BBC of attempting to “politicise” the situation and pointed to “double standards.”
He clarified that the closure of the local office does not limit the accreditation rights for one BBC correspondent.
According to the Reporters Without Borders rights organization, Azerbaijan ranks among the poorest nations globally in terms of media freedom.
“Nearly the entire media sector is under governmental control,” and “officials are striving to silence the remaining independent media, along with journalists who refuse to engage in self-censorship,” it notes on its website.
Baku noted that “similar actions” had been taken concerning “other foreign media organizations,” but did not offer further specifics.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)