Azerbaijani authorities decided to relieve the country and the world from the last independent source of objective information Turan News Agency
ArmInfo.Turan News Agency head Mehman Aliyev was detained in Azerbaijan on suspicion of tax evasion and abuse of official powers. On August 25, Aliyev was summoned to the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Taxes, where an investigation is being carried out concerning charges against the agency about violation of tax legislation. After an hour and a half on the social network, there were reports of his detention. Within 48 hours, a court must be held to elect a preventive measure against the head of the agency.
Within the framework of the criminal investigation started on August 7, Turan is accused of concealing tax revenues for several years. August 16 in the office of the agency was searched, his bank accounts frozen. "In such a situation, normal functioning of the Agency becomes extremely difficult. Given the current situation, team Turan is forced from September 1 to suspend its work for an indefinite period. In the near future, we will try to support the work of our site at the expense of personal resources and enthusiasm. The news will be limited, "Turan statement reads.
Journalists International Protection Committee (CPJ) called Turan the only independent news agency in Azerbaijan and called on the authorities to stop attacks on its employees. Human rights activists from Human Rights Watch also called on the state not to interfere in the work of the agency.
To note, ArmInfo News Agency has established partnership relations with Turan a quarter of a century ago. "The exchange with Turan of objective information has become the main value factor of our long cooperation. We regret that the authorities of Azerbaijan, once again signing their weakness, found such a cunning way to get rid of the last in their country source of objective information. For many years, being well acquainted with the state of the media field of Azerbaijan, I have no doubt that if the tax authorities wish, for so-called violations of the tax legislation, in Azerbaijan, it would be possible to imprison at least a dozen media leaders who are headed by agitprop's misinformation projects, specially created under the "roofs" of the authorities holding. It is not just they do not pay taxes, they actually work outside the tax field and sit on the flows of unrecorded "black" sums. Therefore, the behavior of Azerbaijani authorities in relation to the country's only independent news agency looks clumsy and ridiculous," said in his commentary general director of ArmInfo News Agency Emmanuil Mkrtchyan.