Azerbaijan’s lawyer, Wayne Dennison, has defended the country’s decision to sue CNN over a report about the Iran war.

Dennison said the report was false and could put lives at risk. Azerbaijan filed the defamation suit in Delaware last week.

The case centres on a June 5 CNN report. The report claimed that Israeli troops used Azerbaijan as a staging area for attacks on Iran.

Azerbaijan has strongly denied the claim. Its government said the report was wrong and dangerous. It also warned that the report could draw the country into the conflict.

Lawyer Says Report Was Not Criticism

Dennison, a partner at Brown Rudnick, said Azerbaijan has the right to seek legal action against CNN.

“These untrue statements actually put lives at risk,” he said.

Dennison argued that the case is not about criticism of a government. He said it concerns factual claims about Azerbaijan’s role in an ongoing war.

“We’re not talking about criticism. What we’re talking about are direct, factual statements that relate absolutely to an ongoing war,” Dennison said.

He also questioned CNN’s use of anonymous sources.

“That is literally nothing more than ‘somebody said.’ And frankly, if what they had reported was ‘Iranian officials say this,’ or ‘Iran has taken the position that this occurred.’ OK, then readers can assess for themselves whether these people are being truthful.”

Case Could Test CNN’s Sources

Dennison said the case could eventually involve discovery. That could lead to questions about CNN’s sources.

He also pointed to the Supreme Court’s landmark New York Times v. Sullivan decision. The case established important protections for reporting and criticism involving public officials.

Dennison suggested that the current Supreme Court could be willing to reconsider parts of the legal framework surrounding the ruling.

If the case goes to trial, Azerbaijan will need to prove that CNN’s report was false. CNN could defend itself by arguing that the report was true.

Dennison said Azerbaijan has suffered major damage to its international relations. However, he said the country has not yet calculated its financial losses.

“The damages have been very, very significant in terms of international relations,” he said.

Azerbaijan Wants CNN to Retract Report

Azerbaijan has repeatedly asked CNN to withdraw the report.

Dennison said the network has so far refused to do so. CNN has maintained its position on the story.

Please follow and like us: