The joint statement contains preliminary findings and recommendations for concrete measures to improve the freedom of expression situation in the country.

Situation sharply deteriorated
The mission found that the freedom of expression situation in Azerbaijan has sharply deteriorated over the past several years due to a number of trends, including the imprisonment of journalists and bloggers, acts of violence against journalists and impunity for those who commit those acts, and state domination of the broadcast media.

“Our visit uncovered a number of serious freedom of expression problems in Azerbaijan, which are particularly worrisome in light of the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections,” said Article 19 Executive Director Agnès Callamard.

“We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to address these issues immediately, in order to assure free and fair elections in November,” continued Callamard.

Meeting with Presiden’t advisor cancelled
The joint statement calls on the government to decriminalise defamation, a reform thought to be under consideration. Although a meeting with the president’s special advisor on social and political issues, Ali Hasanov, was confirmed prior to the Baku mission, his assistant cancelled at the last minute.

The nine free expression and media organisations, which also included Index on Censorship, Article 19, Reporters sans Frontieres and Freedom House travelled to the capital Baku to assess the health of the media in the run up to the parliamentary elections in November 2010.

During their visit representatives held meetings and panel discussions with journalists, bloggers, editors, publishers and activists and organised meetings with government officials.

The organisations raised the case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, the bloggers who were arrested when they tried to complain to police about an attack against them.

Appeal hearing postponed
Last week saw free expression advocates turned away from a planned visit to journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, who has been detained since 2007. This followed his appeal hearing in Baku, which was postponed for a third time. Addressing those who had come to observe his trial, Eynulla Fatullayev held up the request lodged by free expression advocates to visit him in prison, thanking his supporters.

Head of Media Rights Institute, Rashid Hajili, said the judge had decided to grant legal teams more time to review the complicated court protocols. Eynulla Fatullayev’s father said he and his wife had been able to visit his son on a regular basis, adding that the journalist was in good spirits.

Members of Azerbaijan’s independent media spoke of their fear of violence, unfair sentencing and the increasing need for self-censorship. Journalists told Index they have lost track of the number of times they have been threatened.

One said that the media was confronted with “the worst scenario” possible because those who carry out attacks do so in the knowledge that they will not be punished for their crimes.

Undirect convictions
Convictions against journalists are very rarely directly related to what they have published – instead, editors, bloggers (picture below) and reporters are sentenced on spurious drug possession charges, incitement of hatred or tax evasion. As a result, the Azerbaijani government successfully deflects outright criticism of its hostile treatment of the country’s journalists.

The joint group also addressed their colleagues at a forum for free expression organised by the Azerbaijani Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech and supported by Vaclav Havel.

Prominent members of the government, including Ali Hasanov, were also invited to attend. All of them failed to take the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the independent media, a decision that did not surprise forum participants but nonetheless contributed to the increasing disenchantment among independent media workers.

HRH London, based on Article 19 and Index on Censorship information.

Related links:

Azerbaijan: freedom of expression situation has deteriorated over the past five years

Azerbaijani bloggers sentenced

No news is not good news regarding freedom of expression in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan: Human rights organisations demand to comply with European Court decision