Azerbaijan is in the spotlight of the South Caucasus Media Conference [Video]

The 13th South Caucasus Media Conference: "The diversity and freedom of the media calls freedom of expression" is taking place on July 6-7 in Tbilisi.  Participants are discussing and developing recommendations on the safety of journalists, as well as compliance with the standards of journalism in conflict zones, countering propaganda.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Mikhail Janelidze said that official Tbilisi is happy to provide facilities for a conference in an environment where the government is pursuing a policy to liberalize the media environment and increase the degree of freedom of speech in the country.

The OSCE Representative on Media, Dunja Mijatović, called it important the resolutions adopted by the UN resolution for the right of everyone to freedom of the Internet, which is important for freedom of expression in general. She expressed concern at the continuing cases of violence against journalists in different regions of the world.

Mijatović said that the Azerbaijani authorities have not provided the opportunity for the recently released Khadija Ismayilova for leaving the country to participate in this conference. After some time Ismayilova got in touch with the participants of the conference and spoke about the high degree of risk for women reporters in Azerbaijan.

"Women are the most vulnerable in journalism," she said, noting as a herself, the invasion of her privacy, and imprisonment on fabricated charges. In general, the first half of the conference turned into a debate on the situation of freedom of speech and media in Azerbaijan with the participation of representatives of official bodies, independent and pro-government experts.

According to Ulyarm Horsley, the Director  of the Freedom of the Media Center of the  British Sheffeirld University, Azerbaijan is the only country where journalists are under arrest, and where criminalization of defamation exists.

Arif Aliyev, the head of the journalistic association "Yeni Nesil" said that, since 2005,  was observed an increase in the prosecution of journalists for defamation, which peaked in 2007, when 107 complaints against journalists were filed, 37 of which have grown in criminal cases. Subsequently, there was a sharp decline, but was marked the increase of arrests on charges of disorderly conduct, drug addicts, etc. The authorities still refuse decriminalization of defamation, referring to the moratorium on prosecution for defamation.

  Director of Turan agency Mehman Aliyev said that  statistics of physical and prosecution of violence against journalists declining since 2007  is  linked to  destruction of the media's economic independence and bribery by the authorities of almost all media in a sharp rise in oil revenues, and high levels of self-censorship.

The representative of the presidential administration of Azerbaijan Kamran Hasanov and  pro-government leaders accompanying him expressed dissatisfaction with such great attention to Azerbaijan. They regarded sounded facts and assessments as biased and unfounded.

"All that said the head of the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety Emin Huseynov is biased and unfounded," said Kamran Hasanov. Huseynov  in his speech accused the authorities of killing of journalists, their persecution for his professional activities. According to Huseynov, who fled the country after the threat of arrest, violence continues to this day,  and in this connection, many journalists are forced to leave the country and continue to work abroad.

In the end, to relieve tension, Dunja Mijatovic was forced to call on the representatives of Azerbaijan to give the opportunity to discuss the situation in other countries of the South Caucasus, where there are also problems of  specific character. -0-