Drone Olympiad among children in Azerbaijan

On July 1 and 2, Azerbaijan hosted a drone Olympiad among children. The Olympiad on unmanned aerial vehicles for schoolchildren has been held here since 2016 in order to increase interest in unmanned aerial vehicle technologies. However, reports indicate that the country has been imposing obstacles on drone filming for several years. Journalists have even been taken to the police for using drones to capture footage. In 2021, blogger Mehman Huseynov was detained and his drone was confiscated by the police.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that Huseynov was detained for the unauthorized acquisition of a drone, stating that operational information indicated he brought a drone device into the country, which requires special permission. Bringing drones into Azerbaijan is said to be a cumbersome bureaucratic process, with the country's legislation listing remote-controlled drones as restricted items since 2016.

To bring drones into the country, permission must be obtained from six different organizations, including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the State Security Service. Experts believe that these regulations effectively make it nearly impossible to bring drones into the country.

The Civil Aviation Agency told Turan that individuals with special permits for drone circulation can register their drones according to the agency's approved temporary procedure.

Agil Abbas, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on Defense, Security and anti-corruption, told Turan that the procedure for importing and using drones in the country is complicated due to security problems: “there can be no question of obstacles for the media and filming. You don't necessarily need a drone to capture the facts of corruption, so there shouldn't be any interference to use drones.”

Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Institute of Civil Rights, in an interview with Radio Azadlig claimed that unofficial restrictions on drones violate freedom of expression.

Bashir Suleymanli, head of the Institute of Civil Rights, in an interview with Radio Azadlig claimed that the unofficial restrictions on drones violate freedom of expression. He stated that journalists have the right to freely gather information, and drones can be a valuable tool for this purpose. Suleymanli pointed out that the ban not only affects drones but also limits the use of small cameras.

This issue has been ongoing, preventing citizens, particularly journalists, from collecting information more effectively and exposing corruption. While drones are used in the country for various purposes, the government seems to be imposing restrictions to maintain control and limit mass exposure of corruption.

Officials claim that all freedoms and human rights are protected in Azerbaijan, but the need for a special permit in Baku is considered by critics as an undemocratic requirement. In developed countries, there are no such bans on the use of civilian drones.