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The ongoing pressure on the mass media in the Republic of Azerbaijan caused the creation of one more organization – Coordination Council for Press Protection on the 24-th of November. Considering the freedom of speech as an integral part of human rights, the Coordination Council undertook a set of obligations for protecting journalists and promoting the fair conditions for all mass media outlets. (24-NOV-06)
 

On the 23-rd of November, about 100 activists of Popular Front Party attempted to hold a protest action, protesting against the government on eviction of the party and Azadlig newspaper from its offices. The police violently dispersing the action, detained 30 people. The particular rudeness was observed toward the protesting women and journalists. (24-NOV-06)

On the 22-nd of November 2006, the International Crisis Group, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict, released the report “Georgia’s Armenian and Azeri Minorities”. The report calls the Georgian government to take significant steps to avoid conflict in the country’s ethnic Armenian and Azeri areas, as the growing tensions in the areas are evident. The Report examines the grievances of these two communities. (22-NOV-06)
 

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 Republic of 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)
 

367 religious communities passed the state registration in the Republic of Azerbaijan. 31 of them are non-Islamic communities. The U.S. Ambassador Ms.Anna Derse (on the right) said “there must come a day when the religious organizations in the Republic of Azerbaijan will act independently, without registration by the government, like in the USA”. The Ambassador mentioned that when this day comes, there won’t be necessity for such agencies as the State Committee on the Work with Religious Structures. (20-Nov-06)
 

16 female students of Sumgait State University applied to DEVAMM with the complaint of not being allowed to the classes for having their heads covered with the headscarves.  The students told that they have been under psychological pressure for a long time, but recently the pressure started to be more aggressive. The chair of DEVAMM Hajy Ilgar Ibrahimoglu (on the right) organized the Monitoring Group of 20 people to make a research of the issue. (18-NOV-06)
 

One more attempt of journalists to conduct an unauthorized picket was cruelly dispersed by police. The reporters were protesting the authorities’ attempt to evict Azadlig daily from its building and other media organizations located in the same building. About 70 people were detained during the action of protest. Some of them were released after fines and warnings. (16-NOV-06)
 

The report the nongovernmental corruption watchdog Transparency International, published on the 6-th of November, ranked Republic of Azerbaijan for the130th place out of 163 world’s most corrupted countries. The index ranks 163 countries by their perceived levels of domestic corruption in the public sector. As usual, at the top of the list are several Scandinavian countries, such as Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. (08-NOV-06)
   

The current series of attacks of Azerbaijani authorities on mass media causes serious alarms not only in the country, but also outside of its borders. The list of forms of pressure, such as assassination of journalists, imprisonment of reporters, huge amounts of fines from independent media outlets, attempts to evict the occupants of Azadlig building , seems to be added one more significant point – ban the BBC from its domestic airwaves, a move that is designed to impose an information blockade on the ex-Soviet state. (30-OCT-06)