Reporters Without Borders: Main opposition daily of Azerbaijan on verge of suffocation

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the decision by an Azeri court to freeze the bank accounts of the opposition newspaper Azadlig, on 5 November 2012.

"This illegal decision is a decisive phase in moves over the past few months to suffocate Azadlig," the press freedom organization said. "Exorbitant fines and a deliberate attempt to squeeze its circulation have put the newspaper in a precarious position, further exacerbated by its bank account being frozen. The paper's survival is under greater threat than ever, which is precisely the intention of the courts.

"Most of the opposition newspapers in Azerbaijan have been closed, one after another. Broadcast outlets are totally controlled by the authorities. In these circumstances, the closure of Azadlig would be a fatal blow for media pluralism in Azerbaijan. Such a prospect is unimaginable."

Azadlig has been the target of a series of prosecutions in recent months. In the past year, no less than ten complaints have been lodged against the daily, mostly by people close to the government. As a result, the newspaper has been forced to pay a series of exorbitant fines totalling more than 65,000 manat (approx 65,000 euros).

The department responsible for implementing penalties at the court in the Baku district of Yasamal said Azadlig's accounts were frozen in order to recover the one of the fines, amounting to 4,200 manat, which was levied as a result of a complaint by the businessman Anar Mammadov, the son of the transport minister, Ziya Mammadov. Yet the newspaper lodged an appeal against the verdict a week ago. Under the law on the application of court decisions, a court ruling cannot be executed while an appeal is pending.

The editor of Azadlig, Ganimat Zahid, told Reporters Without Borders by telephone that the court's decision was illegal. "We are still publishing the newspaper, but if this situation continues we won't be able to hold out for very long," he said.

Apart from the series of fines, Azadlig is also having to deal with changes in the newspaper distribution network. Over the past few months, newsstands in the capital have been replaced by a new network of outlets, from which independent newspapers are frequently excluded. Moreover, the GASID distribution network has accumulated large debts towards the newspaper, which has contributed to Azadlig's inability to settle its own arrears with the state-owned printing house. As a result, it could stop printing at any time.

"This multiplicity of harassment must stop," Reporters Without Borders said. "We repeat that the Baku government must finally decriminalize defamation and guarantee independent journalists and media organizations a fair hearing. The international community, present in the Azeri capital for a meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, must apply its influence." -0-