The Azerbaijani government has prohibited journalist of The Guardian from providing coverage of the European Games in Baku, writes News.am.

Azerbaijan has prohibited the entry of the journalist, as well as representatives of other presses and several advocates, writes The Guardian.

The Guardian had submitted an application to accredit its sports correspondent Owen Gibson in January and had received approval. However, on June 5, the press office for the European Games announced that accreditation is still in progress, but there was no response three hours before Gibson’s flight. The European Olympic Committee announced that the ban fully contradicts the spirit of sports and promised that the Committee’s chairman Patrick Hike would raise the issue during his meeting with the authorities.

The newspaper mentions that the denial is most probably linked to the journalist’s visit to Baku in December. Gibson had prepared a report on how human rights are violated prior to the European Games and had met with the Aliyev administration’s critics, particularly journalist Khadija Ismaylova.

The representative of the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Azerbaijan must ensure freedom for the presses.

Let us remind that earlier, Azerbaijan had prohibited members of Amnesty International from entering Azerbaijan since, at the last minute, they had been told that their mission had to be postponed until  the European Games are over.