Negative trends in press freedom and expression deepens

Not any actions are conducted since April against the  arrested due to events  Guba region on March 1  the Director and editor of the regional TV channel "Khayal TV"  Vugar  Gonagov  and Khayal Guliyav, Turan was told by the journalist's lawyer, the director of the Media Rights Institute, Rashid Hajili.

For the time of his arrest only at the very beginning of the investigation he was interrogated once in the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Interior, and once one there was a confrontation. At the same time, there are not any signs of completion of the investigation there, said Hajili.

   He believes that charges against these journalists in violation of public order are absurd. In particular, they are charged with the spread of online video of the   Chief Executive of Guba region, Rauf Khabibov, offending the locals. The investigation states that journalists "mount" Khabibov statements. In fact, part of the speech was used, and the journalist has the right to edit video.

"There is nothing illegal about distributing material on the Internet. Moreover, that was done not by journalists, but by some third parties. Even if journalists put the video on Internet and called on people to participate in the protest, there would be nothing illegal in it. Journalists could be charged only if they directly called on to make a pogrom," continued Hajili.

Being asked to comment on the course of investigation on the fact of interference the private life of Khadija Ismayilova, the lawyer said that there are not any actions. Moreover, the court rejected Ismaylova’s claim against the newspaper "Yeni Azerbaijan" which  spread about her frankly defamatory and offensive material.

Similar suits  were filed against other pro-government newspaper "Iki Sahil" and "Ses", but there  are not  any signs of  meeting the complaint.

Moreover, the Prosecutor Office allowed interference with privacy  of Ismaylova.

Another flagrant violation of the right to freedom of information and expression Hajili called the destruction of structures for the dissemination of the press. "On one hand,  the authorities prevent the publication of opposition newspapers, and now they  close the  company distributing newspapers, including the state company "Gasid." The authorities replace newsstand "Gasid"  by  trade stalls which sell anything, but  newspapers.

All of this testifies to the lack of political will of the authorities to ensure the freedom of press and expression, and shows the continuation of deterioration of the situation in the field of freedom, said Hajili. –06C-