Azerbaijan says it will remove police officers who harassed the media

Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry has announced they will remove police officers who beat and insulted journalists covering a protest this week.

The press secretary for the Interior Ministry told VOA's Azerbaijan Service on Thursday that officers involved in the incident would be removed "due to impolite behavior, especially against Fatima Movlamli."

Movlamli, a reporter for news website Azadliq, and Sevinj Sadigova were detained on Tuesday, and Teymur Kerimov said police prevented him from broadcasting live on Facebook.

In a Facebook post about her arrest, Movlamli stated that police told her she wasn't considered a journalist under a newly enacted media law and was not allowed to film.

In 2020, the journalists covered a protest by families of soldiers who died in the conflict with Armenia. 

Sadigova, a reporter for Azel.tv, told VOA's Azerbaijani Service that police detained and physically assaulted her and Movlamli.

"They insulted and beat us," Sadigova said, adding that police took the journalists to the Sabail district police station before taking them to the main Baku police department.

According to Movlamli, they were assaulted, kicked and insulted by police.

Movlamli informed her followers that the journalists complained to Vugar Hidayat and that they would request security camera footage of the incident and file a complaint.

"Unlawful actions are unacceptable, including those against journalists," said Elshad Hajiyev, press secretary for the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry, which oversees police.

Media rights groups condemned the police response and complained about the police citing the new law.

Late last year, several journalists and human rights organizations expressed concern that the new media law could lead to further restrictions.

The government could determine who is a journalist based on this law, say critics.