Baku / 03.05.18 / Turan: May 3 is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day. In 1993, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the World Press Freedom Day on May 3, which was the result of the work of the UNESCO General Conference, which in its resolution 1991 on Promoting Press Freedom in the World recognized that free, pluralistic and independent press is an indispensable component of any democratic society.
World Press Freedom Day is an annual reminder to the international community that freedoms of the press and expression are fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Theme of 2018: Keep power under control: the media, justice and the rule of law.
On the occasion of the Press Freedom Day, UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez called for fighting for media freedom:
"Freedom of the press is of great importance for peace, justice and respect for the human rights of all people, an important condition for the formation of transparent and democratic societies and accountability of power. Without free press, sustainable development is also impossible.
Journalists and other media workers cover local and global problems. Their merit in society is invaluable.
It is necessary to adopt and implement laws that protect the independence of journalists, freedom of expression and the right to information, and support them with law enforcement measures. Crimes against journalists should be prosecuted.
On World Press Freedom Day of 2018, I call on governments to fight for freedom of the press and to protect journalists. Defending the freedom of the press, we uphold our right to know the truth. "
According to the rating of freedom of press in the world for the year 2017 of the International Human Rights Organization Freedom House, Azerbaijan was in the top ten of the worst violators of press freedom - 190th place. The situation was characterized by the blocking of websites, the tightening of legislation in the field of freedom of speech, the arrest of journalists, and the persecution of activists of social networks.
According to the number of arrested journalists and bloggers, Azerbaijan is among the top ten journalist jailers in the world. So, according to data at the beginning of 2018, 12 journalists and bloggers who were subjected to criminal prosecution for freedom of expression were imprisoned in Azerbaijan.
Last year, the international journalist organization Reporters Without Borders published its annual Press Freedom Index in the World-2017, in which Azerbaijan was placed 163rd. --0-----
Politics
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On October 10, at the trial of economist Fazil Gasimov, who has been on a hunger strike for 121 days, the defendant stated that he was subjected to moral and physical abuse in the Medical Institution of the Penitentiary Service.
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On October 10, the Baku Appeals Court rejected appeals to extend the detention of individuals involved in the “Toplum TV” case, including journalists Mushfig Jabbar and Ali Zeynalov, as well as activists Akif Gurbanov, Ruslan Izzetli, Ramil Babayev, and Ilkin Amrahov. The appeal from “Toplum TV's” founder, Alesker Mamedli, was not reviewed.
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On October 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Georgian citizens to enter Russia for work or for a period of up to 90 days without a visa. The decree takes effect immediately. It’s important to note that there are no diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia, as they were severed by Georgia in August 2008 following Russia's aggression and occupation of parts of Georgian territory -Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
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On October 10, the Baku Serious Crimes Court continued the proceedings in the case of public activist Rail Abbasov, who is accused of "fraud"
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