Official Baku and its improvised mass media continue their aggressive information war against the RA and NKR
[ 2009/12/24 | 22:47 ]The Azerbaijani mass media have once again lost their way in broad daylight, trying to depict the Karabakh party in an unfavourable light. During a day, the woman, who was killed on December 20, 2009 on the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces’ contact-line first by an “Armenian” serviceman, then, as it was found out, by an Azerbaijani soldier, turned from an «Armenian woman» into an Azerbaijani one. Moreover, a photo of a Georgian woman made in August 2008 during the war in South Ossetia was attached to the information.
The Azerbaijani mass media have practiced forgeries in their anti-Armenian propaganda for a long time. This was fixed not only by the Karabakh party. The Moscow edition New Region notes that the Azerbaijani mass media have, at least, three times used forgeries for the last three months, applying photomaterials of various countries for “proving the facts of the Armenian aggression”. Besides the abovementioned forgery of the Azerbaijani Agency Vesti.az related to the killed woman, the edition notes as an example the distribution of a photo of a Georgian soldier killed in August 2008 “to confirm” the Karabakh party’s losses allegedly taken place as a result of the NKR Defense Army units’ attacking the Azerbaijani positions. In fact, everything was exactly the contrary.
Besides, the Russian edition unmasked Trend Azerbaijani information agency, which had informed of the completion of a documentary about the Karabakh conflict, attaching a photo of alleged “victims of the Armenian aggression”, which, in fact, turned out to be a photo of deceased citizens of Kosovo taken from a Canadian francophone website.
This forgery related to the tragic events in Khojaly and placed at some Azerbaijani websites, including the one of the basic anti-Armenian misinformation center of the Heydar Aliyev Fund (www.azerbaijan.az), the leader of which is the Azerbaijani President’s wife, was earlier diclosed by the NKR Foreign Ministry.
We have to state once more that against the background of the proceeding meetings of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents and the optimistic statements of the international mediators on certain progress in the Karabakh conflict settlement process, official Baku and its improvised mass media continue their aggressive information war against the RA and NKR, using all the means for introducing the Armenian parties as the misdeeds’ actors and for injecting a new portion of Armenian-hatred poison into the international community’s and their own people’s mind.
Unfortunately, this destructive policy of official Baku isn’t properly assessed by corresponding international structures, which is fraught with nullifying the multiyear peacemaking efforts.
«Democratic» Azerbaijan «integrating» into the West and its «independent» mass media should finally realize that freedom of speech is not freedom of misinformation.
We hope that in the coming year, the international community will take the counterproductive actions of the Azerbaijani authorities more seriously.
NKR MFA Information Department
December 26th, 2009 at 03:10
Dear editor,
I hope I am wrong, but I read this particular comment by ‘Tony’ as an open call to violence and even genocide against two particular ethnic groups. As I know that posting comments on your web-site require a prior approval, I am assuming it has been approved by someone from your editorial board. I want to ask you, therefore, to clarify whether your publication has any policy regarding hate speech. I usually am a proponent of an unrestricted freedom of speech, except for cases of obvious hate speech and calls for violence. As I consider this post a call for mass violence, I want to ask Hetq if it considers this post a hate speech or not; and whether it has any policy in regard to hate speech. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Phil
December 26th, 2009 at 14:33
Dear Phil:
I’m wondering if you call the one and half million Armenians massacred by Ottoman Turks as Genocide or as a mass violence committed by Ottoman Turks? How about the Sumgait massacres and other massacres committed against Armenians elsewhere in Azerbaijan?
My grand grand parents were massacred in Adana, Turkey. Most Armenians living or born outside Armenia are effected by these unforgivable events in the 1900’s. We, as Western Armenians, suffered from these events which took us to, almost, extinction. I know that not all of them are bad; there are good people too in both countires. In my view, if they’ve got the chance, they will destroy and annihilate us, Armenians, for good. Additionally, Azeris are still threatening Armenia and Artsakh to start a new war. In my view, they are a menace to Western civilization and to all mankind.
They are not regretting for killing innocent children, the elderly and women of Armenian origin; they’ve raped little girls and newly wed brides. They stole all the properties and lands from the rightful owners of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Cal deans, Kurds etc. Do you expect us to forgive what they have done to us?
Till they regret and say they are sorry to what they have done and compensate all Diaspora Armenians, it’s going to be hard for us to forgive them. We, only, forgive to people who ask for it. They’ve never asked for that, and they are prideful for their crime.
Talking about hate speech, please check on Youtube.com and forums to get a glimpse of how they are commenting and using foul and hate speech against Armenians, Greeks etc.
Please check the following website if you want to refresh your memory about the Armenian Genocide.
http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocidefaq.html
December 26th, 2009 at 21:10
T, I never said there is no hate speech in Turkey or Azerbaijan. Neither I wrote anything that by anyhow questioned the Armenian Genocide or any other atrocity committed against Armenians. They are crimes against humanity. Neither I said anything against reparations etc. So your critique of my post is quite off base.
I did not even question whether people have to express anger or frustration about certain Turkish or Azeri actions. What I questioned was whether Hetq is comfortable providing a platform for open advocacy for mass valence against Turks, Azeris or any other group. Such a call I saw in a comment to this article posted by so ‘tony.’ And considering that they removed the post by ‘Tony’ means that they are not.
P.S. to editor: I appreciate your prompt attention to the matter and for removing the post in question.