Azerbaijani Authorities Must Respect Media Freedom - Representatives of OSCE and Reporters Without Borders

Baku / 07.11.19 / Turan: OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Arlem Desir would like to see more efforts in Azerbaijan to ensure media freedom.

"I would like to see more efforts in Azerbaijan in carrying out reforms in the field of freedom of expression," Desir told Turan on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Freedom of Media organized by the governments of Great Britain and Canada in London on July 10-11.

According to Desir, in the past, in some cases, he had to intervene in the situation.

At the same time, he noted cases involving Afghan Mukhtarly, who was kidnapped in Tbilisi and convicted in Azerbaijan, and video blogger Mehman Huseynov.

In turn, the representative of the international organization in defense of journalists Reporters without Borders (RWB) in the UK Rebecca Vincent expressed her desire to release journalists from prisons and stop new arrests.

"We want to see the release of journalists and the cessation of new arrests, and the improvement of the situation with the freedom of the press in the country," Vincent told Turan.

According to her, Azerbaijan is among the countries of the world where the worst indicators are with press freedom. In the RWB Freedom Index, Azerbaijan ranks 166th among 180 countries of the world.

"There are currently seven journalists in prison, and they should be released," said Vincent.

Responsibility for such a situation is borne by the authorities of Azerbaijan.

"The main thing is political will. The Aliyev regime has never shown the political will to agree with the existence of press freedom," said Vincent.

She expressed the hope that international centers of power, including the United Kingdom, would call on official Baku to be responsible for pressure on the press and the situation in this direction would improve. -16C-