The International Press Institute (IPI) today urged Azerbaijan’s government to hold accountable those responsible for beating five journalists in Baku yesterday.

Security guards for the state oil company SOCAR allegedly severely beat Idrak Abbasov – a reporter with the Zerkalo newspaper and the Baku-based media-monitoring group Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) – and Gunay Musayeva of the Yeni Musavat newspaper, leaving Abbasov hospitalized.

Abbasov, his brother and Musayeva were in Baku’s Sulutepe neighbourhood covering the company’s demolition of homes when some 25 individuals reportedly attacked them. Reports indicated that Abbasov was filming a confrontation between residents protesting the demolition and oil company employees just before the attack occurred.

Three other journalists – Esmira Javadova from Radio Azadliq/Radio Liberty, and IRFS correspondents Elnur Mammadov and Qalib Hasanov – were also reportedly beaten when they later arrived on the scene to report on initial attack.

In a press conference today, a representative of SOCAR reportedly claimed that the journalists were obstructing legal activities and had confronted the security men. However, the representative said SOCAR management condemned the act and had formed a committee to look in to the incident.

IPI Acting Deputy Director Anthony Mills said: “We urge the authorities to conduct a full, swift and transparent investigation into these incidents in order to send the message that these types of attacks, particularly since they are so common, will not go unpunished. This is all the more important in the run-up to the Eurovision song contest, when all eyes will be on Azerbaijan.”

IPI’s National Committee in Azerbaijan also issued a statement condemning the assaults:

“Journalists should be allowed to freely have access to any activity that is newsworthy,” the group said. “IPI National Committee Azerbaijan is very concerned with the recent trend of journalists being brutally beaten by hoodlums and even men in security outfits. We ask the Azerbaijan government to do more to protect journalists in Azerbaijan, particularly because the state of journalism in Azerbaijan reflects on how global journalists view freedom of media in the country.”