Media Rights Institute (MRI) has strongly condemned the amendments to the legislation establishing criminal penalties for defamation on the Internet adopted by Parliament on May 14.
MRI considers that these penalties are one of the means to stifle freedom of expression.
"The presence of these Articles 147 and 148 of the Criminal Code is contrary to the decisions of the Council of Europe, and especially in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on freedom of expression," reads the statement of the MRI.
Moreover, according to the president of Azerbaijan, the National Program for Strengthening the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms approved in 2011, proposals to decriminalize defamation should be prepared in 2012.
However, despite this, the Azerbaijani Parliament has toughen penalties for libel and slander.
IPM regards it as a regress and violation of the obligations of the government.—16/06D--
Politics
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On 26 July "Platform III of the Republic" made a statement which drew attention to the unlawful seizure of electronic devices of underage children of the arrested head of this structure Akif Gurbanov.
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From 19 to 26 July, 24 automatic rifles, 1 machine gun, 9 rifles, 28 grenades, 441 shells, 3118 cartridges of different calibre and other ammunition were found in Khankendi, the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry reported. During the mentioned period, the police found 1 machine gun, 50 grenades, 7 fuses, 3 shells and 320 cartridges of different calibre in Shusha.
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President Ilham Aliyev has approved by decree the Azerbaijan-Kazakh intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in military intelligence defense sector. The document was signed in Baku on 7 June 2024.
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At the trial of the opposition politician Tofig Yagublu, the statement of Elnur Vaqifoglu, another accused, was heard at the Baku Serious Crimes Court.
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