Journalist from Sheki accuses Media Development Agency and Ombudsman's Office

Aydin Mammadov Salis oglu, a resident of the city of Sheki, founder and editor-in-chief of the "Şəki Ensiklopediyası" website and the "İpəkçi" newspaper,  appealed to the Ombudsman Office demanding self-dissolution of this government organization. Mammadov complained to the Office of the Ombudsman's against the Media Development Agency which ignored his appeal. Mammadov also sent a complaint to Milli Mejlis, informing the parliament  that the Ombudsman's Office did not respond to his proposal dated November 19, 2021.

In his statement, Mammadov reported that the state-owned Media Development Agency ignored his information request.

He received a call from the Milli Majlis in which they  conveyed the proposal of the Ombudsman's Office to appeal to them again with a complaint against the Media Development Agency, promising to consider it this time. But Mammadov does not believe that this time the Media  DEvelopment Agency will act according to the law, giving him complete  answer.

Mammadov asked the Media Development Agency about the legality and expediency of state subsidies for websites  amounting 1 ,000 manats, including websites with their sponsors.

Mammadov claims that in reality the assistance is provided in the amount of 2,000 manats. He is interested in the financial sources of such assistance. Mammadov claims that the Agency creates websites, finances them and then receives funds from the state to pay for the work of these media outlets.

Mammadov did not receive response from the Media Development Agency,  and sent a second, extended request there. He asked why the Agency finances only news sites that have a monthly income of at least 2,000 manat and employ at least three employees. Why does the state need to spend money on the media that receives income, while sites in Azerbaijan cannot earn money, there are no conditions for this?

Why can't the “Şəki Ensiklopediyası” website receive state subsidies, since the state refuses to register this media outlet? How can it earn 2,000 manats a month, without which this site will not be included in the list of media applying for state assistance?

Speaking to Turan, Aydin Mammadov said that he did not  see any difference  between the “Media Development Agency” and Vugar Safarli,  who ran a state organization that embezzled state funds under the guise of helping the media, and was convicted for corruption.

Mammadov also applied to the Main Anti-Corruption Department of the General Prosecutor's Office, in which he demanded to investigate corruption cases in the Media Development Agency. A response was received from the Civil Code, in which Mammadov was informed that there were no facts in his letter about the illegal activities of the Media Agency.

Turan's appeal to the Media Development Agency showed that this organization, created by the state for the "development of the media", does not really promptly respond to media requests. The telephone number indicated on the Agency's website does not connect to the operator,  and the caller can only  hear  the tune of Uzeyir Hajibayov; it is impossible to send a letter to this organization from the website. We filled out the form displayed on the site, answered questions, put our request on the site, but the letter was not sent to the address. The assertion of the journalist Mammadov about the unsuitable work of the Media Agency is confirmed.

Turan undertakes to publish a response to the agency's request, if we receive it from there.--0--