Prédateur

Ilham ALIEV

Président de la république d’Azerbaïdjan depuis 2003

Prédateur depuis son arrivée au pouvoir/intensification depuis 2014

Azerbaïdjan, 167e/180 au Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MODE DE PRÉDATION : la justice inféodée au régime de Bakou

En Azerbaïdjan, la justice inféodée au régime condamne les journalistes pour des prétextes absurdes, fallacieux et parfois pour des motifs très graves. Les services de sécurité, quant à eux, ne s’empressent pas d’enquêter sur les agressions que subissent les journalistes. Bien au contraire, les agresseurs des journalistes sont protégés même lorsqu’ils commettent des crimes effroyables. Sous le régime d’Aliev, les sites d’information peuvent être bloqués légalement s’ils présentent un “danger pour l’Etat ou la société”. Enfin, la censure n’a pas cessé de se durcir pendant le conflit armé ayant opposé l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan dans le Haut-Karabakh, et Bakou refuse régulièrement d’accréditer les journalistes étrangers.

CIBLES DE PRÉDILECTION : les voix critiques

Ilham Aliev cible principalement les médias indépendants et les journalistes critiques du régime. Les journalistes d’investigation sont sévèrement réprimés pour leurs enquêtes sur la corruption, les détournements de fonds et le blanchiment d’argent. En février 2021, Zaour Gambarov (Anews.az), journaliste critique dont les articles traitaient des problèmes socio-économiques de la région de Gadabay, est agressé physiquement. Alors même qu’il était victime de l’attaque, il a reçu une peine de trois ans et demi de prison pour “troubles à l’ordre public”, avant d’obtenir la grâce présidentielle. Ilham Aliev exporte son acharnement contre la liberté de la presse au-delà des frontières et n’hésite pas à s’en prendre aux proches des journalistes. Le journaliste d’investigation sur la corruption et le népotisme dans le pays, Afgan Moukhtarli, a été contraint à l’exil en Géorgie, où il a été enlevé et remis aux services de sécurité azerbaïdjannais en 2017. La même année, le beau-frère du journaliste Turkel Azerturk (Turan TV), considéré comme un dissident et exilé aux Pays-Bas, est arrêté pour “trafic de drogue” à Bakou. Le régime pratique aussi le chantage à la sex-tape. En 2012, la journaliste indépendante Khadija Ismaïlova a vu des vidéos intimes d’elle prises à son insu diffusées massivement sur internet. Elle enquêtait sur un système de corruption impliquant la famille Aliev.

DISCOURS OFFICIEL : entre déni et hypocrisie

“Nous avons des médias libres, nous avons un internet libre. Aujourd'hui, en raison de la loi martiale, nous avons quelques restrictions, mais avant cela, il n'y avait aucune restriction. Plus de 80 % de la population utilise internet en Azerbaïdjan. Pouvez-vous imaginer une restriction des médias dans un pays où autant de personnes ont accès à un internet libre, et où il n'y a pas de censure ? (...) Comment pouvez-vous dire que nous n'avons pas de médias libres ?Encore une fois, il s'agit d'une approche biaisée. Il s'agit d'une tentative de créer une certaine perception de l'Azerbaïdjan auprès du public occidental. Nous avons une opposition, nous avons des ONG, nous avons une activité politique libre, nous avons des médias libres, nous avons la liberté d'expression.” (Interview pour BBC News, en plein conflit dans le Haut Karabakh, novembre 2020.)