Predator

Ilham Aliev

Presidente da República do Azerbaijão desde 2003

Predador desde que chegou ao poder/ intensificação a partir de 2014

Azerbaijão, 167o/180 no Ranking Mundial da Liberdade de Imprensa 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

MODO DE PREDAÇÃO: Justiça subserviente ao regime de Baku

No Azerbaijão, a Justiça subserviente ao regime condena jornalistas por pretextos absurdos e falaciosos e, por vezes, por motivos muito graves. Os serviços de segurança, por sua vez, não têm pressa em investigar agressões a jornalistas. Pelo contrário, os agressores de jornalistas são protegidos mesmo quando cometem crimes terríveis. Sob o regime de Aliyev, sites de notícias podem ser legalmente bloqueados se apresentarem algum “perigo para o Estado ou para a sociedade”. Por fim, a censura não parou de endurecer durante o conflito armado entre a Armênia e o Azerbaijão em Nagorno-Karabakh, e Baku recusa regularmente credenciar jornalistas estrangeiros.

ALVOS PREFERIDOS: vozes críticas, principais alvos do regime

Ilham Aliyev visa principalmente à mídia independente e jornalistas críticos do regime. Jornalistas investigativos são severamente reprimidos por suas reportagens sobre corrupção, peculato e lavagem de dinheiro. Em fevereiro de 2021, Zaour Gambarov (Anews.az), jornalista crítico cujos artigos abordam problemas socioeconômicos na região de Gadabay, foi agredido fisicamente. Mesmo tendo sido vítima do ataque, foi sentenciado a três anos e meio de prisão por “perturbações à ordem pública”, obtendo mais tarde o perdão presidencial. Ilham Aliyev exporta sua ferocidade contra a liberdade de imprensa para além das fronteiras e não hesita em atacar parentes de jornalistas. Afgan Moukhtarli, jornalista que investiga corrupção e nepotismo no país, foi forçado ao exílio na Geórgia, onde foi sequestrado e entregue aos serviços de segurança do Azerbaijão em 2017. No mesmo ano, o cunhado do jornalista Turkel Azerturk (Turan TV), considerado um dissidente e exilado na Holanda, foi preso por “tráfico de drogas" em Baku. O governo também pratica chantagem usando gravações de conotação sexual. Em 2012, a jornalista independente Khadija Ismailova teve vídeos íntimos, feitos sem seu conhecimento, amplamente divulgados na Internet. Ela estava investigando um esquema de corrupção envolvendo a família Aliyev.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: entre a negação e a hipocrisia

“Temos meios de comunicação livres, temos uma Internet livre. Hoje, devido à lei marcial, temos algumas restrições, mas antes não havia restrição nenhuma. Mais de 80% da população usa a Internet no Azerbaijão. Vocês podem imaginar uma restrição dos meios de comunicação em um país onde tantas pessoas têm acesso livre à Internet e onde não há censura? (...) Como vocês podem dizer que não temos meios de comunicação livres? Mais uma vez, esta é uma abordagem tendenciosa. É uma tentativa de criar uma certa percepção do Azerbaijão junto ao público ocidental. Temos uma oposição, temos ONGs, temos atividade política livre, temos meios de comunicação livres, temos liberdade de expressão” (Entrevista para a BBC News, em pleno conflito em Nagorno-Karabakh, novembro de 2020).

Publié le 17.11.2016