Janis Karklins, Assistant to the Director General of UNESCO responded to an appeal made by a group of Azerbaijani journalists and media experts on May 25, 2013.
The media representatives noted the deplorable state of press freedom in Azerbaijan and called on the UNESCO Director to support free speech and independent journalists in Azerbaijan.
"The protection of freedom of expression is at the heart of UNESCO's mandate. We promote the sustainable development of culture and freedom of expression and freedom of the press are essential components in achieving these goals.
Free, independent and pluralistic media promotes democracy and free media.
These are the fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter of UNESCO, which are common to all Member States," said the response.
Janis Karklins confirmed that this important issue is under discussion at the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to UNESCO.
"We offered to meet with them to discuss the future of the state of press freedom in the country," said the response by the Assistant Director General of UNESCO. -02D-
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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