On the 21-st of November, there took place a meeting of representatives of political parties, human rights defenders, members of Parliament and editors of mass media outlets. The meeting was devoted to the deteriorated state of media freedom in Azerbaijan, as well as ongoing attack on mass media. The participants of the meeting signed the joint statement, given below, ensuring the active intervention of the sides for support of democracy and freedom of press. (21-NOV-06) 

Written by Shahla Ismailova/HRH Baku, on the basis of materials from Turan Info Agency, Yeni Musavat, Azadlig , IRFS; photo from IRFS.

Joint Statement
The hunger-strike which started on Oct. 30 to protest against attempts to evict “Azadlig” Newspaper from the building in which it is situated in at 33 Khagani Street (which also houses TURAN Information Agency, “Bizim Yol” Newspaper, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan and other organizations) and the general pressure on the freedom of expression continues.
 
It is the 13th day of the hunger-strike of mass media representatives; Azadlig Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Genimet has been participating in the hunger-strike since the first day and his health has reached a critical point. Examinations by doctors show that at any moment Zahidov could fall into a coma, real danger for his life exists. In response to numerous appeals for Zahidov to stop his hunger-strike, Zahidov has given an inadmissible response, saying that he will continue the strike until he dies or until there is an order to restore violated rights of the newspaper directs and to protect the free press from homelessness.
 
Comprehending that the situation is serious, Azerbaijan’s political parties, parliamentarians, human rights advocates and editors are conducting talks about ways out.   While they highly assess the selflessness that Genimet Zahidov and the other hunger-strikers are showing in the name of freedom of expression, concern has been expressed about the danger implicated for their health.
 
It is a shame that gradually the freedom of expression situation in Azerbaijan worsens and an intolerable policy against the media can be distinctly felt. Attempts to evict Azadlig Newspaper and Turan Information Agency from their building and the artificial problems that have been created around ANS’ license vividly depict this problem.
 
With regret, we must note that Azerbaijan is now counted among countries where the free press is under pressure, and journalists are the victim of physical violence and even murder. However to counteract this negative image, instead of taking any real steps, Azerbaijan’s leaders employ other shady methods. The people who murdered Elmar Huseynov, kidnapped and crippled Bizim Yol editor Bahaddin Haziyev and kidnapped and stabbed Azadlig Newspaper correspondent Fikret Huseynli have not been brought to criminal responsibility, Saitrical poet Mirza Sakit was imprisoned on false charges, and all of these things have compelled journalists to participate in a suicidal hunger-strike to protect their jobs and their profession.
 
At present, the attempts to evict Azadlig Newspaper from the building it has been in for 14 years, along with other democratic structures, can be interpreted as part of a policy of authorities that was started in 1998 to exile all people with dissident ideas from the center of Baku. After the 1998 presidential elections Millet newspaper and the Azerbaijan National Independence Party were thrown out of their centrally located headquarters, after the 2003 presidential elections the same thing was done to Musavat Party and Yeni Musavat newspaper. Now there are also attempts to evict Azadlig Newspaper, Turan Information Agency and the Popular Front Party from their offices in central Baku for political reasons.  At the same time as the free press is being deprived of its headquarters, Yeni Azerbaycan Party and its affiliated newspapers, including Yeni Azerbaycan and Ses are provided with spacious offices in the city center. This situation of favoritism must be interpreted as lack of tolerance for dissidence and freedom of expression, and must be condemned.
 
Azadlig Newspaper and Turan Information Agency, who are as old as Azerbaijan’s independence, should not be confronting an unlawful threat of eviction from the building they have been operating out of for many years. On the contrary, they are worthy of better opportunities and greater privileges. Sadly, however, in the current situation these media structures are only faced with problems that could easily be resolved if weren’t for all the artificial problems created.
 
Azadlig Newspaper is not just facing the threat of eviction from its building of 14 years, it has also been fined 300,000 AZN by the court as a result of baseless and ill-intentioned claims. Right now, in contradiction with several points of Azerbaijan’s legislation, the paper’s bank accounts have been frozen and the newspaper has been intentionally cast into financial hardship, creating genuine danger that Azerbaijan’s first independent publication will be shut down.
 
Taking into account all of the things we have enumerated above, we call on Azerbaijan ‘s political leaders to positively intervene in the events surrounding freedom of expression in the country and the development of the independent media, as well as in the ways in which in the state forms a democratic society. We believe that the only way out of the critical situation which has arisen and the only way to end the hunger-strike of the nation’s well known mass media leaders is to preserve the building of Azadlig daily and Turan news agency within the letter of the law and to declare financial amnesty for the media.

Signed by
 
Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety Emin Huseynov
Yeni Nesil ASB Arif Aliyev
Yeni Musavat newspaper Rauf Arifoglu
Independence Party Igbal Aghazadeh
Musavat Party Isa Gambar
Baki Khabar Newspaper Chief Editor Aydin Guliyev
DEVAMM Chairman Ilgar Ibrahimoglu
Ganun Magazine Sahbaz Xudoglu
Classic Popular Front Party M. Mirzelioglu
National Parliamentarian A. Samedbeyli
National Parliamentarian I. Alekbarli
National Parliamentarian I. Israfilov
National Parliamentarian Sabir Rustamkhanli
National Parliamentarian  Nasib Nasibli
“Vetendash ve Inkishaf” Party Chairman Ali Aliyev
Popular Front Party Chairman Ali Kerimli
Liberal Party Chairperson Lala Shovket
Democratic Party Chairperson Serdar Jaleloglu
Human rights advocate Rena Sadeddinova
Human rights advocate Murad Sadeddinova
Novoe Vremya Agayev Shakir
Ayna-Zerkalo Elchin Shixlinski
Huseyn Penah, deputy of Milli Mejlis of Republic of Azerbaijan
Institute of Peace and Democracy Leyla Yunus
Turan Information Agency Mehman Aliyev
Human Rights Advocate Saida Gojamanli
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Arzu Abdullayev
Human rights advocate Seadet Bananyarli
Human rights advocate Novella Jeferoglu
Democractic Journalists’ League Yadigar Mammedli
Fikret Faramezoglu 24 Saat Newspaper
Zafar Guilyev, TURAN Information Agency
Azer Ahmedov Azadlig Newspaper
Fuad Mustafayev, Popular Front Party deputy chairman
Rauf Mizgadzov Ayna-Zerkalo