PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP GROUP FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN

    The International partnership group for Azerbaijan conducted a 3 day freedom of expression mission 7-9 September. The participating organizations are: Article 19, Freedom House, Index on Censorship,
    International Federation of journalists, Media Diversity Institute, Open society Foundations, Press Now, Reporters without borders, Worlds association of Newspapers and News Publishers.
     In Azerbaijan journalists, bloggers and activists face serious and widespread systemic challenges, and forced to carry out their work in a climate of endemic impunity and under persistent pressure from authorities,
    reads the preliminary statement of the mission.
     The main problems for media in Azerbaijan are: impunity for those who kill or harass journalists and bloggers, State influence on media and absence of pluralism on broadcasting media, economic pressure of the state to printing media by means of adverts distributing, using of existing legislation for penalize critical voices, using of defamation, etc.
     The Mission recommends to authorities:
     - Immediate and unconditional release of journalists from prison,
     - Initiate a thorough, prompt and independent investigation of all violence against journalists,
     - Decriminalize defamation,
     - Establish fair conditions for allocation of state advertising,
     - Establish an independent broadcasting regulatory body,
     - Reverse the ban prohibiting foreign entities from broadcasting on national frequencies,
     - Invest in Internet infrastructure,
     - Preserve and protect freedom online, etc.
     `Finally we call on the international community particularly those countries with economic and political ties to Azerbaijan, to hold the government accountable for its freedom of expression record`,-
    reads the statement.