Visibility of State Care about Press

It is unacceptable that the head of the Interior Ministry says 93% of the crime is disclosed, while no assault on journalists is really disclosed, said in an interview with Objective TV chairman of the Association of Journalists Yeni Nesil Arif Aliyev.

In Azerbaijan, journalists are privately listened, the most popular bloggers are unwanted and pressured with compromising blackmail, face interference with their privacy, beaten, and sometimes killed. And if the government does not respond to crimes against the dignity, health and even the lives of journalists, there are serious violations of freedom of expression.

According to him, the last congress of the Press Council did not introduce novelty into the atmosphere of the media, because there is no incentive for the development, and the state funds are not designed for a long term.

Achievements in the field of freedom of expression can not be spoken about in an authoritarian country. The said concept applies not only to the media and journalists, but also applies to other freedoms: assembly, conscience and so forth. Recently, on all these points, there is a "crackdown".

With regard to freedom of speech, the criteria for the democrats and the authorities differ. The country's leadership demonstrates the international community a couple of barely existing opposition publications and provides it for the triumph of pluralism.

The advertising market in Azerbaijan is under strict government control, financial flows are supervised and the media cannot advertise those not patronized by the authorities.

Under the guise of beautification of the city they have demolished hundreds of stalls, so it is difficult to buy media.

The National Television and Radio Council has announced a tender for the development of free radio frequencies without publishing the results - is this not a manifestation of severe censorship?

Apartments are given to 150 journalists - loyal ones to the government, while the state does not provide old age to thousands of members of the profession.

Funds allocated by the state fund for the media are spent inefficiently. So far, it has passed through 20 million manat distributed to journalists or specialized NGOs, although in practice it should be focused on building infrastructure, providing prospects. If at least part of the funds is allocated for strengthening the publishing capabilities of independent companies - distributors, all will benefit from that.

The law "On defamation" is necessary, although it has lost its former sharpness - today journalists are arrested not for their professional activities, but for other items - alleged disorderly conduct, possession and sale of narcotics, bribery and others. "Our organization presented the law "On defamation" to the parliament in 2009. Thanks to the efforts of deputies, it was almost included into the plan of the session of the Milli Mejlis.

In the spirit of global practices, defamation should be placed outside the scope of the Criminal Code, and penalties should be moderate. The parliamentary committee has prepared a new version of the bill, which does not take into account these requirements," said the Chairman of Yeni Nesil. - 17D-