Editor’s note: On 22 September, an individual identifying himself as Tural Ganjali, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, e-mailed Christian Solidarity International to express concern about a recent article on our website. This article highlighted the participation of foreign diplomats in a tour of Nagorno Karabakh’s ethnically-cleansed cities, a tour organized by the Azerbaijani government.
“Balanced and fact-based reporting is particularly important when covering conflicts and their aftermath,” Mr. Ganjali wrote. “We therefore hope that Azerbaijan’s perspective and the humanitarian consequences experienced by its people will receive appropriate attention in your future reporting.”
Since Mr. Ganjali’s message was sent to a number of media organizations, we decided to make our response to his letter public. On September 23, we replied:
Dear Mr. Ganjali,
Thank you for your feedback on our recent article, “Three years post-genocide, diplomats dance to Azerbaijan’s tune.”
I respectfully advise you that your own government’s policies badly undermine your request for more balanced coverage.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Azerbaijan is the world’s six-worst jailer of journalists. At least 25 journalists are currently jailed in Azerbaijan for their reporting, along with nearly 300 other dissidents, human rights activists, and academics.
Access to Nagorno Karabakh is severely restricted by your government. Journalists and international monitors are not free to report from the region, except for select guests who agree to be chaperoned by government minders.
Without such access, allegations about mass graves, landmines, and damage to Azerbaijani heritage sites are impossible for the press to verify.
I urge you to use your position in Azerbaijan’s parliament to allow unrestricted access for media and international organizations to Nagorno Karabakh, and to advocate for the release of the journalists your government has jailed.
I also urge you, echoing the statement issued by Human Rights Watch on Monday, to allow the ICRC regular access to the 20 Armenian prisoners your government holds, and to allow the family members of these prisoners to visit them as well. Your government closed the ICRC’s office in your country in September 2025, and ICRC officials have not been able to visit these prisoners since December 2025.
Sincerely,
Joel Veldkamp
Director for Public Advocacy
Christian Solidarity International
