Deaths

• Siraj Abyshov, camera operator of the Azerbaijan television, was born on 29 August 29 in the city of Qubadli, Azerbaijan SSR. During the First Karabakh War, together with his family, he was displaced and moved to the city of Sumgait. In 2019, he started working for AzTV.^[18][19]
• Maharram Ibrahimov (Alioglu), reporter of the Azerbaijan State News Agency, was born on 16 April 1982 in the village of Ardanish, Krasnoselsky District, Armenian SSR. In 2003, he enrolled to the military service in the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs which he completed on 15 July 2004. Since 1 September 2004, he was a reporter of "AZERTAC". During the Second Karabakh War, he covered the events in the war zone.^[20]
• Arif Agalar oglu Aliyev, the Deputy Representative of the Head of the Executive Power of the Kalbajar region in the Susuzluq administrative-territorial district, was born in 1983 in the Susuzluq village. During the First Karabakh War, he was displaced to Khasabag village, Goygol region. He worked in this position since 2012. On 5 June 2021, his body will be delivered home to Goygol district, to be buried.^[21][22]

Wounded

• Emin Mammadov, a stage director of Azerbaijan TV. upon being contacted on the 4th of June he said that his condition was stable.^[23][24]

The other three victims have not been named. One of them is a bus driver, two others are villagers.^[25]

Internal

The AzTV chairman, Rovshan Mammadov, among the first to confirm the incident on his Facebook page, called the incident "another example of Armenian vandalism and the enemies crimes against civilians" and expressed condolences to the families of both journalists.^[30] The First Vice-president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, stated that "the responsibility for the death of innocent people rests entirely with the military-political leadership of Armenia".^[31] Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, called on the international organizations to show solidarity and condemn the tragedy, claiming that journalists were victims of a mine "deliberately planted by Armenian troops when leaving Kalbajar."^[32] The Head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Leyla Abdullayeva,^[33] the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov,^[34] the Azerbaijan Media Development Agency (MEDİA),^[35] expressed condolences to the families of the killed journalists. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of violating the Geneva Convention.^[36] The Head of the Union of Journalists of Azerbaijan, Elchin Shikhli, accused Armenia of violating the international law and claimed that the mines were recently planted. The State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Family, Women and Children Issues stated that as a result of the incident, young children of three families were orphaned.^[37]

The victims were honoured near the building of the Azerbaijan TV.^[38]

International

The Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan, Zacharie Gross,^[39] the Embassy of Italy in Azerbaijan,^[40] the Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan, George Deek,^[41] the Embassy of Russia in Azerbaijan,^[42] the Embassy of Iran in Azerbaijan^[43] and the Embassy of Georgia in Azerbaijan^[44] expressed their condolences regarding the deaths of two journalists in the incident. The Turkish channel Haber Global blamed Armenia for the incident.^[45]

Georgy Gogia, the deputy director of the Human Rights Watch for Europe and Central Asia, noted that the event raises concern, especially if the mine was recently planted to target civilians.^[46] Dunja Mijatovic, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, declared the need to urgently clear the areas affected by the conflict from mines.^[47] The OSCE Representative on Media Freedom, Teresa Ribeiro, expressed a deep concern and sadness over the death of the two Azerbaijani journalists.^[48]

The Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, and the Secretary General of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, in a joint statement expressed their condolences to the victims and their families, and also called on the Armenian authorities to hand over the plans of the mined areas".^[49] The International Media Institute said it was "deeply saddened" over the deaths of the two journalists.^[50] Gulnoza Said, Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists for Europe and Central Asia, called the deaths of Ibrahimov and Abyshov "an unnecessary tragedy."^[51] She called on Armenian officials to share the "mine maps with the press to ensure that other journalists do not fall victims to the conflict".^[52]

The deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Lyudmyla Marchenko and Maryan Zablotsky, demanded Armenia to provide the maps of the minefields.^[53] Igor Korotchenko, Russian journalist and former head of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, also reacted to the incident and stressed on the need to appeal to all organizations, including European, and international journalistic structures.^[54]

The killing of Siraj Abishov^[55] was condemned by the Director-General of the UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in a press-release published on the 7th of June.^[56] According to global monitoring on the safety of journalists by the Observatory of Killed journalist, Abishov the 2nd media professional killed Azerbaijan in 2021.^[57]