French journalists on trial accused of defaming Azerbaijan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two French journalists are on trial accused by Azerbaijan's government of defamation for calling the country a "dictatorship."
Media freedom activists see the unusual trial as a dangerous precedent by a foreign government to intimidate journalists and export censorship beyond its own borders.
Azerbaijan sued journalists Elise Lucet and Laurent Richard for defamation over a 2015 investigative report for France-2 television. They are on trial Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders is testifying for the defense, as are an Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activists living in exile.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan's government has long faced criticism for alleged human rights abuses and suppression of dissent. Its president Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father as long-time leader and secured sweeping new powers in a recent referendum.