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Azerbaijan suspends local BBC News operation
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Azerbaijan suspends BBC News operations, citing reciprocity. Press freedom concerns rise as one journalist remains.
BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbajian's Foreign Ministry on Thursday ordered the suspension of BBC News' Azerbaijani operations but said it would allow one journalist to keep working in the country.
The ministry did not give an explanation for the decision, but said that Baku "is always guided by the principle of reciprocity in all its decisions and relations with the media of foreign countries".
The South Caucasus country has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years over its record on press freedom. At least 21 media professionals are currently behind bars there, according to Reporters without Borders.
President Ilham Aliyev has rejected criticism over the arrests of journalists and said Azerbaijan has "a free press and a free internet."
The BBC said in a statement that it had made the "reluctant decision" to close its office in the country after receiving a verbal order from the Foreign Ministry.
"We deeply regret this restrictive move against press freedom, which will hinder our ability to report to and from Azerbaijan for our audiences inside and outside the country," the BBC said, adding that it was seeking further clarification from Azerbaijan.
The BBC's Azerbaijani service has been operating since 1994 and reaches an average of one million people per week.
(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Lucy Papachristou; editing by Giles Elgood)
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry ordered the suspension without providing a specific explanation, stating that the country is guided by the principle of reciprocity in media relations.
Azerbaijan has faced increasing scrutiny over its press freedom record, with at least 21 media professionals currently imprisoned.
The BBC expressed regret over the suspension, stating that it hinders their ability to report from Azerbaijan and affects their audiences both inside and outside the country.
The BBC's Azerbaijani service has been in operation since 1994 and reaches approximately one million people each week.
President Ilham Aliyev has rejected criticism regarding journalist arrests, asserting that Azerbaijan maintains a free press and a free internet.
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