Five years have passed since the murder of Monitor Journal Editor-in-chief Elmar Huseynov. However, the executors and people behind his murder have not been found and brought to justice.
The newly released editor-in-chief Ganimat Zahidov, far left, of Azadlig newspaper emphasized that several journalists were frightened after Elmar Huseynov died, and as a consequence they distanced themselves from independent journalism. “However, I consider every person participating here a soldier,” said Zahidov. “I want you to mobilize people around you and fight for freedom of speech.”
Prisoners of conscience
According to Institute for Reporters´ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), there are three prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan’s prisons who were arrested under trumped-up charges (theEditor-in-chief of Gundelik Azerbaijan and Realniy Azerbaijan Newspapers Eynulla Fatullayev, and the two bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade). Despite continuous calls from local and international communities, these prisoners of conscience remain imprisoned.
At the commemoration of Huseynov’s murder, on his grave, Mehman Aliyev, right, director of Turan Information Agency, expressed his concerns about freedom of speech in Azerbaijan. He said that last year, Ganimat Zahid was in prison. He wished that Fatullayev, Milli, and Hajizade will be released so they can celebrate the international press freedom day next year. Chairman Emin Huseynov of IRFS emphasized that Elmar Huseynov’s murder case has not been solved. Huseynov regretted that no representatives from the Press Council were present during the memorial.
Attempts to control Internet
Afterwards, a round table called “IS THERE A NEED FOR STATE REGULATION ON THE INTERNET IN THE 21ST CENTURY?” was held at IRFS’s Media Center, to discuss the decision of the Azerbaijani government to regulate Internet in the country. In a statement, the participants call upon the government to restore FM broadcasts of foreign radio stations, positively solve appeals regarding the opening of new TV and radios, secure the independent operation of existing TV channels and radios, and to remove the issue of licensing of Internet and regulating the virtual social networks by the government from the agenda. The awarded director Rashid Hajili of the Media Rights Institute stressed that there is no practice to supervise the internet in the world, and evaluated the suggestion as an old-fashioned approach in an era when new technologies are developing. The IREX Azerbaijan Lawyer Alasgar Mammadli said that internet has been regulated through the Law “On Mass Media” and noted that all problems should be solved within this law.
Support for journalists and their families
Nataly Losekot from Article 19 urged the Azerbaijani government to decriminalize defamation at the forum ”Media Diversity – freedom of expression for all”, held in Baku 3 May, together with the Media Diversity Institute and the Yeni Nesli Journalist Union. Representatives from the Council of Europe and OSCE were also present at the forum. The participants of the forum emphasized the need for giving support to targeted journalists and their families and that trials against journalists should be followed carefully by NGOs and legal defenders. The press council was critisized for not giving sufficient support to journalists. Several also raised the need for international support for an online TV station, and the need to call upon international firms advertise in independent and oppositional newspapers.
