«Freedom of expression: the safety of journalists, gender equality and media" was the theme of the round table organized by the Council of Europe and opened in Baku today. The event is a joint project of the CoE and the EU support for freedom of expression and media.
Government representatives, journalists and representatives of civil society gathered to discuss freedom of expression in the context of security and gender equality.
The Chairman of the Press Council Aflatun Amashov said that Azerbaijan in 2002 joined the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides for obligations including in the field of freedom of expression.
Before that, the country abolished censorship. As examples of providing security, Amashov called the Council of Press monitoring rallies "to prevent physical pressure on the press."
The representative of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Vugar Salimov claimed that the government has a policy to ensure freedom of expression and creation of conditions for the free activity of independent media.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the Council of Europe Teymur Melik-Aslanov noted that the purpose of the project is to promote improvement of the legislation of Azerbaijan in line with Council of Europe standards, and to ensure freedom of the press, which performs the functions of public control.
"Protection of freedom of the media is essential in the provision of other rights. Gender equality ensures the equality of men and women - an indispensable condition for a true democracy," said Melik-Aslanov.
During the two-day round table, experts from the Council of Europe Bisera Zankova and Leila Marshania will speak before the participants. They will talk about how the issues of freedom of expression, journalists' safety and gender equality are reflected in the decisions of the Council of Europe, as well as international practice in this area. -06C--
Politics
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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On November 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding a peace treaty in an interview with Public TV. In particular, he emphasized that society should move away from certain stereotypes. “We are outraged when we hear the term ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But we don’t think that when we say ‘Western Armenia,’ it also irritates anyone,” he stated.
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