STP to Hold Hearing on Situation in Media on Eve of Day of Press

Civil Society Platform (STP) decided to hold a conference on the current state of media in Azerbaijan on the eve of the Azerbaijani Press Day, which is celebrated on July 22.

At the STP meeting, which was held on July 9, it was pre-decided to hold the event at the International Press Center, which will be sent the appropriate application.

The platform also supported the position document "On the extension of open government initiatives in Azerbaijan and increase in the civil society participation in this process." The document was initiated by representatives of several non-governmental organizations and is aimed at the restoration of Azerbaijan's status as a full member of the Open Government Initiative.

The meeting discussed and supported the formulation and adoption of a comprehensive document on the current state of the NGO sector, providing for measures to lift restrictions imposed by the Government in respect of non-governmental organizations in recent years. The document will be presented to the public by the end of July.

The participants also considered a number of organizational and current issues. STP expressed concern about recent arrests and harassment of journalists and civil society activists.   -0-