Press Center Refused to Rent Hall to Civil Society Platform

The International Press Center (IPC) has refused to provide the public association Civil Society Platform (CSP) a hall for the round table devoted to the National Press Day.

In response to the request of the organizers, the IPC said that from 9 to 31 July, all the rooms will be "busy", CSP reported.

IPC has three rooms and they are mostly empty during the day. However, the IPC response says that within 22 days (15 working days) there will be 360 ​​hours of activities. Given that the room price is 100 AZN per hour, during this time, the IPC revenues will amount to 36,000 AZN. In annual terms, the IPC income should make AZN half a million, which means the payment of 30,000 AZN of taxes. ‘We wonder how much tax IPC will pay in July,’ CSP said.

Given the fact that the IPC owners are close to officials, CSP believes the refusal to host the event arranged by civil society activists is a political order, zero tolerance for alternative views, and violation of fundamental freedoms.

CSP condemned such discrimination of civil society and called upon the authorities to abandon the practice.   -06D-