Head of the Press Council on site blocking

Baku / 07.12.17 / Turan: "Insults of journalists and other issues are all very serious," said Aflatun Amashev, chairman of the Board of the Press Council, a member of the Milli Majlis, commenting on the issue of blocking a number of news sites. At the same time, he stressed that no "serious website that influences public opinion and worked within the framework of professional ethics was never blocked." At the same time, blocking of sites should be carried out only by a court decision. According to him, citizens periodically complain to the Press Council about interference in privacy and other violations. Individuals and groups in the fight against their opponents use the media, spreading erroneous and insulting information, interfering with family issues, Amashev noted.

At the same time, he did not give concrete examples of such violations and did not name what sites he meant. The Electronic Security Center on March 27 blocked a number of independent and opposition sites: azadliq.info (Azadlig newspaper site), azadliq.org (Azadlig Radio), azerbaycansaati.com ("Azerbaijan Hour" program, broadcasting from Europe), meydan.tv and Turan TV (an opposition television channel broadcasting from Europe).

After that, the ministry appealed to the court to confirm its decision, accusing the websites of violating the "legitimate interests of society and the state."

Representatives of the sites rejected these allegations and indicated that the blocking of sites is contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Court's decision on the case of blocking sites in Turkey, the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of 2016. In mid-November, local sites were also blocked.

realliq.info, realliq.az, NİA.az, neytral.az, politika.az, vediinfo.az, obyektiv.org, sonolay.org, 24saat.org, ulus.az, qanunxeber.az, infoaz.org, xalqinsesi. com, aztoday.az.

Their editor noted that at first they were included in the "black list", and then the Press Council appealed to the Ministry of Communications. At the same time, the sites were blocked without a court decision. Experts point to the lack of the Press Council's authority to initiate punitive measures against the media. -16B-