Joint statement of the EU, the OSCE and the Council of Europe

At the end of the meeting with the Azerbaijani media  on the safety  of journalists  yesterday, Nils Muiznieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights,  OSCE Special Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, and Neelie Kroes,  Vice President of the European Commission,  stated that they stand ready  to support progress in Azerbaijan in the field of securing the right to freedom of expression and media freedom, both offline and  online. 

Welcoming the readiness  of the Azerbaijani authorities to enlarge a dialogue  with them and to pursue  cooperation  activities  in these fields,  they stressed  that  "a clear  sign of Azerbaijani Government’s commitments   to enhancing freedom  of expression would be  the initiation of effective  and transparent investigation into crimes against journalists, thereby putting an end to impunity in this field,"  the document says.

Another sign of progress would be the release from detention of journalists, bloggers and citizens imprisoned for expressing their views. 

The adoption of the necessary legislative changes, including the decriminalization of defamation with the relevant recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights, will also testify to this commitment.

Finally Muznieks, Mijatovic and Kroes also stressed the role of the  media profession itself   in upholding genuine freedom of  expression, the role and importance of professional standards. -02D-