Baku / 22.11.17 / Turan: The Press Council's recommendation to block a number of sites is illegal. This opinion was expressed in an interview with "Voice of America" by an expert in the field of copper, lawyer Alesker Mammadli. According to the statute, the Press Council can protect freedom of the press, deal with issues of professionalism.
The Press Council may decide on the ethical or unethical nature of the dispute that has arisen in the press between some third parties, no more. Therefore, the appeal of the Press Council to the Ministry of Communications with an appeal to block 10-12 sites without a court decision is illegal, Mammadli said.
According to the law, within 8 hours the accused party must be given a warning with the requirement to withdraw information from the site. Without such warning, blocking websites means exceeding authority and arbitrariness, the expert noted.
Is it possible to suspend the publication of lies and slander in the media through repression? Answering this question, Mammadli noted that, first of all, there must be a court decision on this matter.
In addition, the issue of libel and insult is controversial and such a charge must be proven.
In addition, according to international practice, such actions are punishable by fine and public reprimand, which inevitably leads to material losses for the perpetrator.
Access to several critical and opposition sites has also been blocked in Azerbaijan: Azadlig, Radio Liberty, Meydan TV, etc. How effective is this approach?
According to the expert, this is absolutely inefficient, because there are numerous programs (VPN), allowing to circumvent such restrictions.
In practice, this also means limiting freedom of expression and not the authorities' desire to hear the opposite opinion.
In addition, the status of this or that media also matters. "Radio Liberty" is funded by the US Congress and the blockage of such media means a certain line in foreign policy.
The same goes for Azadlig, the country's first independent newspaper. The blocking of such media means only one thing - the authorities' fear of the truth, said the expert.
According to Mammadli, this policy speaks about the lack of political will of the authorities to ensure freedom of speech and expression in the country. -03B-
Difficult question
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