Restrictions in social networks and the Internet will only worsen the situation in the media - A. Mammadli

Baku / 02.10.18 / Turan: Activities on the Internet are already regulated by law and there is no need for new restrictions,said in an interview with the program "Cаtin sual" ("Difficult Question") of the Turan agency media expert Alesker Mammadli, commenting on the proposals of a number of deputies to adopt a special law on the regulation of social media.

All media - traditional or social - are the media and their activity is regulated by the legislation of Azerbaijan. In this case, we are talking about the law "On the Media," Mammadov said. This law also covers the Internet. Therefore, to say that social media is not regulated means not understanding the legislation. How can Internet domains registered abroad be regulated?

Answering this question, the expert noted that it is impossible to regulate by the legislation of Azerbaijan a structure, the domain of which is located beyond its borders. You can challenge its activities only if the structure with a foreign domain has a representative office in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the domain is only the technical side, the question may cause the content of the Internet resource - content. If the content goes beyond the law - calls to overthrow the constitutional system, inciting hatred, insulting honor and dignity, then they can be challenged. Thus, Article 148-1 of the Criminal Code of the country was previously supplemented with the clause "insult and slander through social media".

As for the proposal of the head of the Press Council, MP Aflatun Amashev to adopt the concept of information security, this issue is within the competence of the government, not the parliament. The information sphere is regulated by eight laws: "On Mass Media", "On Television and Radio Broadcasting", "On Public Television", "On Obtaining Information", "On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information", Codes of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code, etc. There is no need to adopt a specific law on information security.There is also a separate law "On State Secrets."

If the talk is about the disclosure of privacy secrets, then this is governed by the Criminal and Civil Codes. There are also laws protecting professional secrets - doctors, lawyers, etc., Mammadov said. Commenting on the overall situation with freedom of expression, he pointed to the trend of permanent restriction of freedom of speech.

The last example is the blocking of websites by the Ministry of Communications without a court decision. If we add new legislative norms of restrictions to the Internet, it will mean the refusal of Azerbaijan from the concept of freedom of expression. "All this does not bode well for the country's image or journalism," Mammadov said. -03B06--