The Media and Broadcasting Council has issued a statement condemning the active involvement of public activists, politicians and official figures based abroad in targeted information campaigns against Azerbaijan in recent days.

Axar.az reports that the statement notes that the active involvement of public activists, politicians and even official figures based in foreign countries in targeted information campaigns against Azerbaijan has been clearly observed in recent days. Such activities, driven by political and ideological motives and aimed at manipulating public opinion and interfering in the country’s internal affairs, represent an unacceptable misuse of the information space and an attempt to undermine public trust.

“The mass posting of content containing identical spelling errors and writing styles, the systematic copying and pasting of similar comments, as well as the editing and dissemination of photo and video materials unrelated to our country, constitute primitive and easily identifiable methods of coordinated troll attacks.

“Although the authors of these posts are foreign-language speakers, more than 400 posts were published within a short period under a single hashtag in Azerbaijani. In many cases, the content consisted solely of the hashtag itself, while identical content was repeatedly circulated by the same account. These patterns clearly demonstrate the manipulative nature of the campaigns and have provoked justified public discontent and outrage at their organizers and participants.

“The dissemination of such posts through various anonymous accounts, as well as attempts to encourage citizens, through negative comments and reactions, to disrupt public order, violates the requirements of both the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and international law and entails legal liability.

“We strongly condemn the intensification of targeted information attacks against Azerbaijan originating from Iran and Turkiye, particularly on the Telegram and TikTok platforms. We consider these attacks incompatible with the principles of information security, mutual respect in interstate relations and international cooperation in combating disinformation.

“The widespread circulation of baseless and biased materials about Azerbaijan, as well as threats, intimidation and insults directed at the Azerbaijani state and its people in the media and social media spheres of these countries, causes deep concern and serious public dissatisfaction. The failure of the relevant authorities to take measures in this regard further exacerbates these concerns.

“The Media and Broadcasting Council once again calls on citizens, media outlets and social media users to remain vigilant against such manipulative campaigns, refrain from spreading false information and take a responsible and principled stand against attempts to damage our country’s reputation,” the statement concludes.