MPs "Run Over" the Press

Today's sitting of the parliament began with a stormy speech by MP Fazil Mustafayev, who rushed to criticize the press.

"I used to think that the leadership of the country is not ready to adopt a law on defamation, but now I see that it is not ready to journalists themselves. How many lies and slander in the newspapers, and especially the newspaper Azadlig to the Parliament! According to him, the press service of the Parliament should respond to this "injustice".

 He was supported by Siyavush Novruzov who offered to punish journalists who write negatively about the parliament and MPs. "They should be deprived of parliamentary accreditation until they fix it," he said.

Novruzov also accused the opposition parties that they trigger youth and release them to streets to defend the freedom of assembly.

MP Zahid Oruj also hit the opposition, accusing it of the struggle for the right to freedom of assembly. He called it "the right of collision." The opposition has resorted to the Bolshevik methods and promotes a social place, he said.

Deputy Etibar Huseynov (a former journalist) went even further, saying that the press offends women in parliament. However, the entire opposition stood up in defense of the Nigar Yagublu who "committed a crime."

"At the time of the accident, she instead of calling an ambulance, dragged her gravely injured companion to the driver's seat, where she had sat," he said.

In defense of the press spoke Igbal Aghazadeh, recalling that the media are in poor conditions due to lawsuits. "Before attacking the press, is not it better to have a look at ourselves?" he said.

Speaker Oktay Asadov, in turn, wondered that if the press insults and slanders in the absence of the law on defamation, what will take place after this law is passed.

MP Asim Mollazadeh called for political tolerance. He proposed to remove from the agenda the amendments to the law "On freedom of assembly." In his opinion, this is copied from the Russian initiative. "What did this bring to Russia? There are still rallies, and they will not stop," he said. -04C-