Azerbaijan's pro-government media backs Georgia's "foreign agents" law: Why?

Azerbaijani media support “foreign agents” law

Why and who in Azerbaijan supported Georgia’s “foreign agents” law? Meydan TV journalists collected comments from Azerbaijani experts.

On May 14, Georgia passed the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” sparking significant discontent both domestically and internationally. From April 15, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tbilisi to protest the law introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The law targets all independent organizations and media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad, labeling them as “organizations implementing the interests of foreign states.” This mirrors Russia’s “foreign agents” law, which has been used for years to pressure independent media and human rights organizations.

As a result, Georgian society refers to this legislation as the “Russian law.”

Both ethnic Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijani activists who found refuge in Georgia opposed the law. Meanwhile, pro-government Azerbaijani media actively supported the bill.

Meydan TV explains why some opposed it while others supported it.

One of the first to highlight these publications was ethnic Azerbaijani activist Samira Bayramova, who actively participated in protests against the “Russian law.”

On her Facebook page, she posted a video attempting to protest a report by an AzTv correspondent. In the video, Samira calls the journalist a liar and provocateur, urging the Azerbaijani community not to believe his statements.

According to the video posted by Samira, the correspondent claims on camera that the protesters in Georgia are “acting on Western orders and funded by the West.”

Samira stated that this is not the first time AzTv has aired such biased content, which is why she decided to confront the correspondent directly:

“Since the protests began, we have been closely monitoring the media. On one hand, we gather information, and on the other, we are interested in how the media covers the events in Tbilisi.

This is very important for us, especially for the Azerbaijani community. Most of them do not speak Georgian and therefore do not understand the significance of these processes.

I stumbled upon the AzTv material by chance. It is incomprehensible where all this aggression, hatred, and sarcasm come from. If they are unaware, we can explain why this law is called ‘Russian’ in Georgia, what Georgia means to the West, and why national minorities want Georgia to join the European Union.

We have informed AzTv about this several times and publicly criticized them. Unfortunately, they continue in the same vein.”

Director of the Turan news agency and media expert Mehman Aliyev told Meydan TV that Azerbaijani TV channels always actively cover anti-Western topics from the perspective of Azerbaijani authorities’ interests.

“Our government has increasingly taken an anti-Western stance and does not hide it. To foster and maintain such sentiments in society, they portray events from an anti-Western perspective. It’s no surprise they support actions against the West by other governments as well. This can be seen as a form of support extended to Georgian authorities by Azerbaijan”.

Samira Bayramova agrees with this viewpoint. She believes Azerbaijani media, due to friendly relations and strategic ties with Georgia, are strategically utilized by Azerbaijani authorities:

“Perhaps this is a form of support. Georgian state channels also present a similar narrative. They engage in provocation and disinformation, distorting events.”

According to Mehman Aliyev, Azerbaijani media channels serve as propaganda outlets:

“They are controlled by the authorities and thus cannot and will not disseminate independent, objective, and pluralistic information. They follow orders. Theoretically, media should be objective, tell the truth, and provide diverse opinions.

Media should not interfere in foreign events or take sides. That’s the theory.

But, again, our media are under control, they follow orders, and act within the confines of these orders.”

“Government does not wish for our development”

Another ethnic Azerbaijani, activist, and leader of the Garachepa Public Center, Tozu Gulmammadli, believes the enactment of this law will disproportionately affect ethnic minorities in Georgia:

“Ten years ago, no one spoke about our needs. Our youth were invisible. Today, most young people discussing the needs of the Azerbaijani community, most of the successful youth, are representatives of NGOs.

Even people currently in the Georgian government, including parliamentarians, come from non-governmental organizations. If we face a problem today, if our rights are violated, we rely again on NGOs. Therefore, the existence of NGOs is doubly important for minorities.

We are more vulnerable here, our rights are violated more. Due to language and other barriers. Therefore, NGOs are vital for us.”

Ethnic Azerbaijani in Georgia, activist and journalist Jeyhun Mammadli, also opposes the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence”:

“At the moment, it is European and international organizations that play a role in the development of ethnic Azerbaijanis and youth in Georgia. The Georgian government has done nothing for this.

Whether it’s religious or national minorities, there are programs in place in the regions where lawyers defend people’s rights for free and, if necessary, confront the authorities.

Today, if there are a few activists whose voices are heard, they are products of these organizations. It’s clear that this government does not wish for our development.

Whether Azerbaijani, Armenian, or Russian, it doesn’t matter; this law shows that the system does not want the development of ethnic minorities.”

According to Tozu Gulmammadli, biased information published in Azerbaijani media, particularly about the “Russian law,” may create a wrong impression among the Azerbaijani community in Georgia.

Unfortunately, many ethnic Azerbaijanis still have poor knowledge of the Georgian language. Moreover, they have fewer opportunities to access information from alternative sources.

“Currently, 70-80% of Georgia’s population receives information through television, and all channels are in Georgian,” says Tozu Gulmammadli. “Reliable information is predominantly available on the internet, but not everyone has access to the internet. Plus, there are few news sites publishing reliable information. Because of all this, the level of awareness among the Azerbaijani community about the ‘Russian law’ is very low.”

“I don’t think I can feel free and comfortable here”

Activists from Azerbaijan who sought refuge in Georgia to escape persecution by Azerbaijani authorities have opposed the law. One of them, Lily Nazarov, faced pressure in 2020 for speaking out against the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He received threats on social media and was summoned for questioning:

“On November 2, they called me and summoned me to the security service. On November 4, I went there with a lawyer. They questioned me about every post on social media. They asked, ‘Why are you against the war?’ ‘What don’t you like about Ilham Aliyev?‘

I lost friends and hope during the war. 99% of Azerbaijan’s population supported the war. The pressure from the state and strained personal relationships led to suicidal thoughts. Just a few days after being summoned by the security service, on November 7, I left the country. I have not returned since.”

Considering Georgia a safer place, he moved to Tbilisi. Lily actively participated in protests under the slogan “No to the Russian law” and says that after the law was passed, he no longer feels safe in Georgia.

“I have been living and working in Georgia for nearly two years. However, I am now considering leaving here too, because there is a shift towards authoritarianism. The ‘foreign agents’ law has been passed, and they are planning to pass an anti-LGBT law. All of this makes my stay here dangerous. I don’t think I can feel free and comfortable here.”

Lily also says that he has observed how events in Georgia are portrayed by pro-government Azerbaijani media:

“The ongoing repression in Azerbaijan at the moment shows their intent to completely eradicate the concept of freedom of speech and free media in the country. They aim to control events in the region and portray them in a favorable light for themselves.

Due to the scarcity of independent media in Azerbaijan, state media seek to take control, spreading misinformation. The persecution of independent media vividly demonstrates that the Azerbaijani government wants to fully manipulate information and propagate only its own position.

Feeling increasingly vulnerable in Georgia, Lily was compelled by the adoption of yet another law:

“Just like in Russia, immediately after passing the foreign agents law in Georgia, they proposed an anti-LGBT law. These two laws target civil society and the LGBTQ+ community.

By restricting the activities of organizations working with socially vulnerable groups, the government intends to control them and their finances, promote the alienation of the LGBTQ+ community, criminalize it, and isolate it from society, forcing them to live under constant pressure and threat.“

The law is in effect

The law is in effect despite Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili vetoing it on May 18; Parliament bypassed the veto on May 28, and on June 3, Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed the law.

Thus, the controversial foreign agents law, which has been a subject of protests for months, has come into force.

Now, Lily Nazarov is searching for a safer country to live in:

“I communicate here with Azerbaijani, Georgian, and international activists. We tried to attend protests together.

Every day, our conversations revolve around current events. Recently, especially when meeting with Azerbaijanis, we are trying to find a way out, to figure out where to go next.

Because this law is intended to control civil society, control the capital of civil society, and control where it gets its funding and what activities it engages in.“

Supported by ‘Media network’