National Council: The presidential election will also be the struggle for freedom of press

The National Council of Democratic Forces appealed to the media of Azerbaijan on the occasion of National Press day.

“On July 22 you, and the country’s community celebrates National Press Day, which has given the people of Azerbaijan, outstanding thinker and educator, Hasanbay Zardabi, who in 1975, published the first national newspaper "Ekinchi."

This historic step was a harbinger of development not only of the press, as a public institution, but also opened the way to freedom of thought, culture, controversy, and the formation of a unified national identity.

Despite all the difficulties that the Azerbaijani press faced in different periods of development of the country, the best journalists from generation to generation were able to carry the spirit of the day, founded by Ekinchi newspaper.

Today, Azerbaijani journalism lives in hard times, is subject to economic and political pressure and lives in the atmosphere of fear blown by the authorities.

But, in spite of this, the press has always been a communicative institution, linking all parts of society, and creating a single information layer, which pursued aspirations of citizens for freedom and creativity.

The National Council of Azerbaijan is sure that only democratic reforms are able to liberate the word from the shackles of totalitarianism and open the way to prosperity and press all over the country.

The democratic forces, which are responsible for a free, dynamic and healthy development of the media, are willing to do everything in their power for the development and triumph of the ideas of the enlighteners/founders of Azerbaijani press. We are confident that the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan will be the stage of the struggle for freedom of the press and its prosperity.” reads the appeal.-02D-