Today is the day of the establishment of the Azerbaijani national press.

Axar.az reports that 150 years ago - on July 22, 1875, the foundation of the Azerbaijani national press was laid with the start of publication of the newspaper "Akinchi" by Hasan bey Zardabi, one of the prominent representatives of the enlightenment movement of his time.

"Akinchi" laid the first foundation stone of a truly national democratic and popular press in the Azerbaijani language. The newspaper, which published a total of 56 issues, became a mirror of the nation and the standard-bearer of Azerbaijani journalism.

In subsequent years, newspapers and magazines such as "Ziya", "Kashkul", "Shargi-rus", "Irshad", "Molla Nasreddin", published by prominent intellectuals, continued the traditions of "Akinchi". The main goal of these press organizations was the fight against ignorance and injustice and enlightenment. The Azerbaijani press, which has walked a rich and honorable path, has gone through several stages. During the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the foundation of a free press, as well as a new view of events, was laid.

The next stage covers the period after the occupation of the ADR by the Bolsheviks. 70 years of the 150-year-old press are connected with this period of communist dictatorship. During that period, the Azerbaijani press wrote about existing problems more in a subtextual sense. The press was the mouthpiece of the policy and ideology pursued by the USSR. At that time, thinking and writing differently were forbidden.

Starting from the second half of the 1990s, the Azerbaijani press has entered a new stage of development. This stage is also the period of Azerbaijani statehood and democratic state-building. The Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, who laid the foundation of this new period of development, always highly appreciated the influence of the press on society and implemented consistent measures to strengthen the freedom of the press and speech, and the material and technical base of mass media. During the period of independence, Heydar Aliyev signed the first decree on the Azerbaijani press.

In total, the Great Leader signed more than 10 orders and decrees to solve the problems of the press. In 1999, a law “On Mass Media” was adopted that met international requirements. Censorship was abolished in Azerbaijan by Heydar Aliyev’s order dated August 6, 1998.

The country pays the highest level of attention and care to freedom of speech and the press, as well as to the media. President Ilham Aliyev has signed several important orders aimed at developing free media, strengthening the material and technical base of the press, and improving the socio-economic situation of journalists.

In the 44-day Patriotic War that began on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan won the information war as well as the battlefield. The circles that regularly waged a black campaign against our country did not give up their dirty deeds during this period. However, despite this, the advantage in the information war was on the side of Azerbaijan, which liberated its historical lands from occupation and fought for truth and justice.

However, two representatives of the Azerbaijani press have become victims of Armenian terrorism. A vehicle carrying journalists filming the territories liberated from occupation after the end of the Patriotic War hit an anti-tank mine on June 4, 2021, in the Susuz village of the Kalbajar region. As a result, AZERTAC correspondent Maharram Ibrahimov, AzTV cameraman Siraj Abishov, and Aliyev Arif Agalar oglu, deputy representative of the head of the Kalbajar Region Executive Power for the Susuz village administrative district, were killed, and four others were injured.

On June 14, President Ilham Aliyev awarded Abishov Siraj Abish oglu, Aliyev Arif Agalar oglu, and Ibrahimov Maharram Ali oglu with the 3rd degree Order "For Service to the Homeland" for their service in the territories liberated from occupation.

On July 22, 2021 - National Press Day, President Ilham Aliyev presented apartments to the families of martyred journalists M.Ibrahimov and S.Abishov.