PARIS, France, July 15. Journalists in Karabakh were deliberately targeted, just because they were journalists, said Jean-Michel Brun, editor-in-chief of La Gazette du Caucase, during a commemorative event titled “Fallen Journalists: Victims of Armenian Aggression” held at the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Paris, Trend reports.
"Some countries no longer respect the laws of war. They bomb civilians, destroy hospitals and schools, lay anti-personnel mines. This is happening today in the Middle East - it also happened during the Karabakh war. The journalists we honor today did not fall because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were deliberately targeted - because they were journalists," he said.
Brun, a former war correspondent with more than two decades of field experience, denounced what he described as a disturbing shift in the treatment of journalists in modern warfare. “We are no longer just in danger because we share the same risks as soldiers,” he said. “Today, we are targeted for the simple fact that we are journalists.”
Brun also highlighted attempts to silence journalists in subtler ways—through censorship, manipulation, and pressure. He cited the case of French reporter Liseron Boudoul, whose report on Karabakh was allegedly pulled after it challenged narratives. Another journalist, he revealed, falsely reported on the Azerbaijani Army just to satisfy editorial expectations - those claims he later admitted were untrue.
Brun also raised concerns about the influence of Armenian nationalist networks in French media, alleging that Mourad Papazian, the leader of the French branch of the Dashnak party, had acquired control over a majority of journalism schools in France. This, he warned, is discouraging young journalists and replacing real reporting with propaganda and spectacle.
The Baku Network Analytical Center brought attention to the issue of Azerbaijani journalists killed as a result of Armenian aggression in Europe for the first time by organizing a series of events.
An exhibition was held in Paris where Baku Network showcased materials honoring these journalist martyrs.
The event took place at the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Paris as part of Baku Network’s project titled “Analysis of Hybrid and Ideological Threats Against Azerbaijan”. The exhibition was organized with support from the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani Embassy in France.
Booklets commemorating martyred journalists were distributed to visitors at the exhibition and to guests attending the presentation marking the 25th anniversary of Icherisheher’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The event was held at UNESCO headquarters during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.
