A.Mammadli: Punitive measures against defamation – are useless

The level of on-line transparency of the central bodies of executive power in Azerbaijan is 58%, reported  an expert in the field of law Alasgar Mammadli, speaking today at the conference "Internet and Human Rights" organized by the Baku office of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Communications of Azerbaijan Republic. According to Mammadli, from 100% of the information to be published on the websites of the central executive authorities, only 58% are exposed to web resources. Mainly details of a directory nature are presented. The information regarding the budget expenditures, tendering and procurement is practically not exposed on the Internet.

Transparency of local authorities is only 14%. Another problem in the sphere of freedom of the Internet Mammadli called the participation of the state as a player in the market of provider organizations. In this situation, the state creates favorable conditions only for its providers. As a result, only public providers are able to complete coverage of Internet services throughout the country.

Mammadli said that the state should be the only regulator, and to create equal conditions for all players. He called unreasonable offers pro-government officials and experts to toughen penalties for illegal actions on the Internet. "The additional measures are not necessary, since the responsibility for the violations and abuses in the media and distributed on the Internet. It is impossible to deal with insults and slander on the Internet only by punitive measures. It is necessary to use mechanisms of public censure, the inadmissibility of the use of unethical comments, an indication of infidelity of such actions. -06C-