Statement of the participants of the ceremony on commemoration of Elmar Huseynov, the Chief of "Monitor" magazine

Today  is  the 12th anniversary of the treacherous murder of Elmar Huseynov, the Chief of "Monitor" magazine. Until now, the killers of Elmar  have not been found and  remain unpunished, and unwashed blood continues to put shame on Azerbaijani journalism.

Elmar's murder was a milestone because it opened the way for the repression of the independent press and led to its actual destruction. Many media outlets were closed, or are under the control of power, becoming a media propaganda. Journalism  has lost  its  social significance and became an accomplice of the policy, which led the country into a deep systemic crisis.

Following the professional journalism, so-called People's journalism was also subject to repression - social networks, the blogosphere.  Laws against freedom of the Internet, frequent arrest and punishment of the social networks of activists as well as journalists toughened.

In these difficult days for the entire country, taking the responsibility for the fate of freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, as the cornerstone of a free and democratic society, we call on the authorities to:

1. bring to justice  those ordered  and murderers of Elmar Huseynov;

2. to  release  from imprisonment  journalistsand bloggers;

3. to stop  repression of the freedom of speech;

4. to eliminate  amendments to the law on the media, and the Internet;

5. to provide free access to information in accordance with the law on the media and freedom of information;

6. to adopt the law on defamation;

7. to provide  economic conditions for the free development of the media;

8. to start a constructive dialogue with the authorities of the media community to create conditions for the development of the mass media according to international standards.     

Baku, 2 March, 2017