Press Review for 1/3/13

Official newspapers publish stories about the trip of the President to Gabala and his visiting a number of new facilities.

Azadlig writes about the ongoing persecution of the writer Akram Aylisli and his family. In particular, the authorities now accuse his son of cooperation with the Armenians.

In Iran, at a football match in Tabriz, thousands of people chanted "South Azerbaijan - not Iran!", which became a cause of concern and scandal.

The newspaper writes about the facts of the persecution and arrest of PFPA activists on trumped up charges in the country.

Zerkalo says the Reporters without Borders report on the index of freedom indicates the low level of press freedom in Azerbaijan.

Express also illuminates the incident at the stadium in Tabriz, where tens of thousands of people chanted “Azerbaijan”. As a result, the security service Sepah demanded not to hold football matches with the local team in Tabriz.

Novoye Vremya also comments on the report by Reporters without Borders, testifying about the plight of the press in the country, contrary to the assurances of the authorities that the press in Azerbaijan is free and thriving.

Bizim Yol writes about the closed meeting of the U.S. Ambassador Morningstar with opposition leaders and suggests that the topic of the conversation was the upcoming presidential election.

The protest of students - Passive Boycott on Feb. 27 was attended by 3,000 students. The students protested against the corruption and poor quality of education in Azerbaijan.

Yeni Musavat: The new Olympic Stadium in Baku is built by the Turkish company Tekfen.

In the United States there was held a hearing about the Islamic threat to Azerbaijan. -0 –