The special representative of OSCE for Human Rights Miklos Haraszti, right, took a strong critical position on the situation on mass media in Azerbaijan, in early April in Baku. On Eurasia Regional Forum on Democratic Media, held in Paris in 17 April, Haraszti expressed his opinion about the situation of media in Azerbaijan, “Here government uses soviet methods like holding narcotics, threatening with terror, and hooliganism charges to arrest ‘unwanted’ journalists.” (21-APR)

Written by Shahla Ismailova / HRH Azerbaijan on the basis of materials from Turan Information Agency, IRFS, IPD

However, after Haraszti’s visit to Azerbaijan the state official started to attack the OSCE special representative and made him the object of the ridicule. 

The head socio-political department of President’s Administration Ali Hasanov, who  ranks Azerbaijan on one of the first on the freedom of speech in the world, condemned the special representation of OSCE for Human Rights Miklos Haraszti for incompetence and non-professionalism. «Haraszti is not a professional journalist. During socialist Hungary he spent 20 in jail, and later was appointed the commissar of the OSCE. Haraszti’s appeal  to mass media  at the press-conference on April 9  in Baku cannot be  considered as a speech of professional journalist,» Hasanov said in his  interview to “Hesabat”  TV program on ANS TV channel.

Hasanov said that Haraszti arrived in Baku to “mobilize Azerbaijani journalism to fight against authorities. It is not OSCE’s goal, “Hasanov said. Journalists must meet the requirements of society in information about the events which had taken place and which will take place,” Hasanov said. There are political parties for conduction a political struggle. «If Haraszti wants to deal in politics in Azerbaijan, let him accept Azerbaijan ’s citizenship, create a party and fights against the authorities,” Hasanov said ironically.

“No one, neither an expert from a foreign country nor an official or unofficial representative from any organization can talk to Azerbaijan’s government like this,” said Hasanov. “Azerbaijan’s government is an official entity that protects the interests of the Azerbaijani People. Haraszti’s call on official government organizations in this tone is the height of emotionalism. We appoint representatives of the OSCE and they are financed through the membership fees we pay. Their obligation is to determine strategies on security issues between our governments, to discuss them with us and accept them.” 

Statement of the IPD
The Institute of Peace and Democracy released a statement regarding the obstruction of the special OSCE representative on freedom of Mass Media, Miklos Haraszti. The statement reads “while performing his professional and civil duty, Miklos Haraszti called the Azerbaijani government to halt criminal activities against freedom of speech, Mass Media and journalists….. Reaction of authority representatives shows that in spite of the statements of President Ilham Aliyev about aspiration toward euro-integration, adherence to international standards of law, views and actions carried out by the officials of his administration totally coincide with features and character of their colleagues in Minsk, Yerevan, Tashkent and even in Ashgabat.”