Tag: Karabakh

Internet disruptions in Fuzuli [Update October 24, 2023]

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[Update] Reports from Fuzuli confirm, that internet access has been restored as of October 24, 2023. Residents say that despite almost a month-long throttling, they have noticed the cash balance on their accounts has been withdrawn even though there was no internet access. Of the companies providing Internet access in Fuzuli, only Aztelekom has thus far restored access. According to reports, mobile operators continue to resort to throttling.

Azerbaijan throttled internet access on September 19, 2023, during military operations but according to reports from the ground, despite it being more than 20 days since the intervention, internet disruptions remain.

Azerbaijan launched a military offensive into the formerly disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on September 19, with the aim “to restore constitutional order” and “force the dissolution of the government” in the capital Khankendi [Stepanakert in Armenian]. As a result of the 24-hour operation termed by Azerbaijan’s Military of Defense as a “local anti-terror operation,” the government of Stepanakert/Khankendi surrendered, accepting the truce agreement outlined by Azerbaijan and Russia on September 20.

More coverage of the offensive available here.

According to reporting by independent Meydan TV, an online news platform, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, as well as other relevant institutions, have been silent about restrictions placed on internet access in Fuzuli. Users said on the social media platform Meta, that it was not only Fuzuli where restrictions continue but also in Aghdam, and Terter. “Access to the internet is only available at government institutions in Aghdam, Terter, and Fuzuli while the population remains without access,” wrote Khagani Bakshali in a post. 

Screenshot of the post on Facebook.
Meydan TV reports that all main providers, Aztelecom, Nar Mobile, Bakcell, and Azercell stopped providing access to the internet in Fuzuli immediately after the military operation started on September 19. Inquiries directed to the press services of mobile operators remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, residents were not informed of planned disruptions according to Meydan TV reporter reporting from the Arayatli village of Fuzuli. 

The disruptions have affected especially students receiving online education.

An employee at the call center at Aztelecom, the main provider of internet access, said the company would investigate the disruptions, while the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport said there was no reason to worry and that the internet would be restored soon. “There is no reason to worry. Internet will be restored. We advise citizens to be patient,” the ministry said according to reporting by Meydan TV.

According to ICT expert and president of Azerbaijan Internet Forum Osman Gunduz, while the decision to restrict access to the Internet can be justified during military operations, once these are ended, access should be restored. In an interview with Meydan TV, Gunduz said, “When the state is conducting an anti-terrorist operation in a certain region, it is understandable that [the state can] restrict [access to] the Internet. An anti-terrorist operation can also be considered a military or emergency situation. But if the operations are over now, if the situation is under the control of the state, it would be correct to restore communications, open the Internet, and activate the mobile Internet service.”

*Fuzuli was one of the seven districts surrounding Karabakh occupied by the Armenian forces following the first Karabakh war. Azerbaijan regained control of the district as well as other six districts during the second Karabakh war. 

police detains peace activist. meanwhile activists face restrictions on Facebook [Updated October 24]

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[Update] Speaking to a group of journalists on October 20, activist Ahmed Mammadli said his arrest was ordered by the state and that he was now being sent against his will to complete the compulsory military service less he drops his advocacy around peaceful coexistence between the two nations. The authorities said they would guarantee his safety and allow him to pursue his education abroad if he complied. But Mammadli is defiant and vowed to fight such measures from happening to any activist in the country. “I and our movement, won’t allow for this to happen again,” said Mammadli. “I refused their offer because my values are not for sale,” explained Mammadli to journalists at a press conference held in Baku shortly after his release from detention. 

On September 20, police in Baku arrested a political activist, and the chairman of the Democracy 1918 (D18) movement Ahmed Mammadli. Mamadli was detained by men in non-uniforms and later sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention on bogus charges. The local police claimed Mammadli was arrested on the grounds of resisting the police.

Mammadli was among a handful of civil society activists who made public calls for peace, regarding the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

In his posts, Mammadli criticized the state for the recent clashes, saying the responsible officials, including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, should be held accountable. “One day, Ilham Aliyev will answer before the international courts the crimes he committed not only against the Azerbaijani people but also against the Armenian people. The first task of a democratic Azerbaijan will be to punish those who make nations hostile to each other,” wrote Mammadli on September 15. In another post, Mammadli, called the president a “dictator” who had “blood on his hands”.

Mammadli announced he was going on a hunger strike following his arrest.

During the most recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the State Security Service blocked access to TikTok.  

Separately journalists from independent news platforms reported attempts to hack into their social media accounts during the most recent clashes due to their critical coverage. Verbal attacks on peace activists and journalists providing critical coverage of the escalations were also documented. Both journalists and activists said their social media accounts were getting temporarily suspended by Facebook as a result of mass (fake) reporting.

Giyas Ibrahim, was among those whose personal Facebook profile was suspended likely as a result of inauthentic accounts mass porting the profile to the platform and abusing the platform’s community standards. Although access to his profile resumed after the 6-day restrictions ended, the activist’s posts continue to be moved lower in the feed. In a notice Ibrahim received from Facebook, the platform claimed, Ibrahim posted something that violated Facebook’s policies.

In a separate case, activist and founder of Azad Soz platform, Tural Sadiqli said Facebook suspended access to his own profile over a post, the platform claimed was in violation of its community standards. The said post was about the story of a man who self-immolated outside a government building that normally provides citizens in need with housing. The rest of the post talked about the reactions of various government institutions including the one outside of which the man set himself on fire. This temporary suspension delayed Sadiqli’s work updating the Facebook page of Azad Soz, a popular anti-government online platform, that Sadiqli administers.

in Azerbaijan State Security Service blocks TikTok during the most recent clashes [Updated November 7]

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[Update] According to Turan News Agency reporting, the temporary ban on TikTok placed in September was removed. The decision was announced by the service for electronic safety at the Ministry of Digitial Development and Transport. 

Users of the social media platform TikTok in Azerbaijan started reporting difficulties accessing the application as early as September 13. On September 14, the State Security Service announced its decision to block access to the platform entirely on the grounds the platform was casting a shadow over the military activities, revealing military secrets, and forming wrong public opinion. 

According to testimonies of users in Azerbaijan, soldiers were sharing videos from the line of contact along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. Some of these videos were graphic. Graphic videos also circulated on the Telegram app. OC Media reported about the first video while users said there was a second video resurfacing online.  

Other users said they experienced issues accessing WhatsApp, Telegram, and slow internet connectivity speeds. 

Azerbaijan Internet Watch together with partner organization OONI analyzed data provided by local testers on the ground and confirmed the blocking on the platform in Azerbaijan. The analysis revealed that TikTok was also blocked in Armenia. 

The blocking came at a time of renewed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to the collected and analyzed OONI data,

the testing of www.tiktok.com and Tiktok endpoints presented a relatively large volume of anomalies between the 13th to 15th of September 2022, following the eruption of border clashes on the 12th of September 2022. It’s worth noting though that while www.tiktok.com measurements (showing signs of blocking) were collected from Azerbaijan from 13th September onwards, TikTok endpoint measurements are only available from 14th September 2022 onwards (when they were added to the test list for Azerbaijan). 

In summary, based on the analysis of 681 OONI metrics collected from 5 different networks in Azerbaijan, we conclude that:

  • The main TikTok website (www.tiktok.com) and several endpoints essential to its functionality were blocked on at least 3 different networks (AS29049, AS41997, AS31721);

  • On all networks where we identified blocking, it seems to be implemented by means of TLS level interference by dropping packets after noticing a disallowed server_name;

  • ISPs in Azerbaijan block TikTok based on different lists of TikTok endpoint domains, and there is some level of inconsistency.

Separately journalists from independent news platforms reported attempts to hack into their social media accounts during the most recent clashes due to their critical coverage. Verbal attacks were also documented as was the case two years ago. Both journalists and activists said their social media accounts were getting temporarily blocked by the platforms as a result of mass (fake) reporting. 

During the second Karabakh war, users in Azerbaijan faced internet restrictions as well. As a result, VPN usage soared during that period. In a statement issued by Access Now platform, Natalia Krapiva, Tech Legal Counsel at Access Now said, “Governments’ deep-seated drive to control the narrative — including in Central Asia and Eastern Europe — must stop.” “Whether authorities like it or not, people have the right to access the internet and to use social media, so focus on facilitating, not blocking.”

Azerbaijan blocks RIA Novosti – Russian language state news website – citing violation of the national law [Updated June 13]

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The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport blocked access to the Russian state-owned RIA-Novosti news site on June 3, according to reports by Azerbaijani media. In a statement issued the following day, June 4, the Ministry said the decision to block the Russian news website was a result of the news site running a story that was of defamatory nature against Azerbaijan.

According to Turan News Agency reporting, the Ministry statement said, “RIA Novosti violated Azerbaijani law On Information, Information, and Protection of Information.” Specifically, the statement was referring to an interview published by RIA Novosti with Artak Beglaryan, the Minister of State of the disputed territory of Karabakh. In response, Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry accused Russia of “spreading slanderous information against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and promoting separatism” and violating “the 1997 Agreement on Friendship, Security, and Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as the 2022 Declaration on Allied Cooperation, which requires both countries ‘to refrain from any activity directed against the principles of the UN Charter and each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ as well as ‘counter the threats of separatism’.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Russia and Azerbaijan have blocked or discussed blocking each other’s news sites. At the time of writing this post, at least six Azerbaijan news sites are currently blocked by the Russian internet regulator– Roskomnadzor. 

According to Article 13.3.3 of the law on Information, Informatization, and Protection of Information, in cases of existence of a real threat to the lawful interests of the state and society or in urgent cases when there is a risk to the life or health of people, the access to internet information resource is temporarily restricted directly by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies [former name of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport]. This restriction is applied without a court order. 

Who regulates content online in Azerbaijan? Legal analysis