How legitimate is the ban on the use of drones?

Baku/15.03.21/Turan: The detention of the blogger Mehman Huseynov and the seizure of a drone by the police raised the issue of the legality of using UAVs for video filming. Five years ago, norms were introduced according to which drones can be imported into the country only with the permission of government agencies.

Public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev tried in vain to get such permission. “The need to obtain a permit was introduced by a presidential decree. To obtain permission, you need to apply to four authorities: the Civil Aviation Administration, the State Security Service, the Ministry of Defense and the State Security Service,” Hajiyev told Turan.

However, all four structures refused with the motivation of the "inexpediency" of importing a drone. “This restriction is motivated by the protection of privacy, but in fact it is intended to prevent journalists and bloggers from conducting anti-corruption investigations,” Hajiyev said.

According to him, in democracies it is forbidden to use drones only in special places, for example, airports, or around strategic objects. In Azerbaijan, drones can be used indoors at best.

Human rights activist Samira Agayeva also considers the restrictions on the import and use of drones illegal. These restrictions are based on the regulations of the executive authorities and are not clearly spelled out in the legislation.

The drones used for filming are actually a video camera. Therefore, the ban may relate to the filming itself with a photo or video camera, Agayeva told Turan. — 06B-