The Azerbaijan government has passed an important milestone. They have started to harass foreign journalists. Until now, it was only locals who were harassed.
Today I received a letter from prominent Norwegian documentary filmmaker Erling Borgen, whom I had an honour to meet in Baku these days:
Today I received a letter from prominent Norwegian documentary filmmaker Erling Borgen, whom I had an honour to meet in Baku these days:
This morning at 5 am at the airport in Baku, the Norwegian journalist Erling Borgen and his cameraman, Dag Inge Dahl, was surrounded by aggressive security personell.
They stole important documents from the Norwegian filmmaker.
They also stole and confiscated Mr. Borgens hard disk with six days of filming.
What the security personell did not know, was that they were tricked. Copies of the entire film-materiell is now in Oslo. The editing of the documentary, "A prisoner in Azerbaijan" (about Eynulla Fatullayev) will start very soon.
The security people also stole photos, memory sticks and memory cards.
Erling Borgen says:
- This says a lot about what kind of regime Azerbaijan is today. They fear freedom of expression. I take this robbery very serious and have contacted the Norwegian Ministry of foreign affairs and the police. I admire my brave journalist friends in Azerbaijan.
Great coverage, Ali!
ReplyDeleteYours,
Vilhelm
Ali is indeed the best, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteBart
I feel so sorry for my people in Northern Azerbaijan. I am originally from Tabriz, the capital of Azerbaijan, and we looked at the N. Azerbaijan government as a hope for our future in dependency. But with these all corruption, bribes, and dictatorship, I don't think that the world will have good imagine about our future.
ReplyDeleteDear my brother Behrouz I want see Southern Azerbaijan free and prosperous. Just please do not repeat our mistakes. We i the North instead of united around idea, united around political leaders. Neither of them was perfect. We should united around idea of azerbaijanizm, around idea of building civil society, respect to human right and rule of law. This is the most important things! As for azerbaijanizim, it was idea from Mammademin Rasulzade when he with his friends established Azerbaijani Democratic Republic in 1918. No need to invent new idea.
ReplyDeleteWe have to just remembering our history and old musavatists.
Saygilarla,
Nazim Akifoglu