Although the high ranking officials of Azerbaijan state that freedom of the press and expression are ensured and deny the exitence of problem in this field, the issue remains to be a concern of the international organizations. Such media crackdown if continued might results in making Azerbaijan responsible for obligations regarding human rights and press freedom. (31-AUG-07)
Written by Shahla Ismailova on the basis of information from Turan News Agency and IRFS
Concern about problem 
The US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse (right), in an interview to Turan News Agency, stated that journalists should not be imprisoned for defamation. Derse said that defamation and libel must be removed from Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code and transferred to the Civil Code. According to the Ambassador, there should be more programs to increase the professionalism of journalists and strengthen their ethics. “Criminal prosecution for libel and defamation is not acceptable,” she said.
On 2 August 2007 a hearing on media freedom in the OSCE region took place in Washington D.C. The event was organized by U.S. Congressman Alcee L. Hastings, the chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Co-Chairman U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin. According to a press release from the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, there was given special attention to deterioration in the area of media freedom in the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. Congressman Hastings said, “Particularly disturbing is the ongoing media crackdown in Azerbaijan. Electronic media are increasingly tightly controlled; independent ANS TV has to tread VERY carefully if it doesn’t want to lose its license. At present, seven journalists are in jail and there has been a series of physical attacks and fines on journalists. Over 20 journalists have openly sought political asylum abroad to protest the worsening conditions in the country. Yet President Ilham Aliev’s chief of staff reportedly said recently Baku will ‘never’ take the libel and defamation articles off the books.”
On August 27 in Brussels, in a meeting of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Commission, Azerbaijan’s government was criticized. Special attention was given to the violation of journalists and mass media institutions’ rights. High-ranking official of the European Commission Rutiger Wissels said that deterioration in these areas is unacceptable. “The negative tendencies in Azerbaijan contradict the goals and spirit of the European Neighborhood Policy. The plan of this program includes concrete obligations regarding human rights and press freedom,” said Wissels.
In its open letter to Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg on the occasion of his official visit to Azerbaijan, Article 19 makes specific suggestions for legal reform that should urgently be undertaken to ensure that Azerbaijan complies with its internatonal obligations, including the decriminalization of defamation.
