Azernews.Az

By Gulgiz Dadashova

May 3 sees the world to celebrate hard-won press freedoms and highlight the fragility of the right to freedom of expression.

World Press Freedom Day celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2013. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, May 3, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, is marked worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

Freedom of expression creates favorable conditions for protecting and promoting all other human rights, and it requires a safe environment for dialogue where everyone can freely and openly voice their views.

This year's World Press Freedom Day focuses on the theme "Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media" and puts the spotlight, in particular, on the issues of safety of journalists, combating impunity for crimes against freedom of expression, and securing a free and open Internet as the precondition for online safety.

Currently, Azerbaijan is in the process of developing its press and lacks restrictions in reporting the ideas and opinions of citizens to the public. Support of the activity of professional and independent media is one of the main principles of the state policy.

The current state of the media and related issues were in focus at the conference titled "Media space of Azerbaijan: current situation and future challenges", organized by the Foundation of State Support for the Development of Mass Media under the Azerbaijani President, National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council and Press Council in Baku on Thursday, May 2.

Over the 20 years of the independence of Azerbaijan, the country laid the foundation of development in various areas, one of which is providing the freedom of information society, head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's social and political affairs department, Ali Hasanov, said at the conference, timed to World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated the following day.

Hasanov said the abolition of censorship by national leader Heydar Aliyev had laid the basis for future development of the media in the country. Afterwards, he said, the press and public "appeared to stand face to face".

"Not each media representative is educated and follows the ethical norms of journalism, due to which there have been a number of trials. As time went by, everything fell back into place. Azerbaijan is aimed at the formation of free media and freedom of speech. No journalist in Azerbaijan can say that he had collected information about any incident but was forbidden to distribute it," he said.

Hasanov went on to say that all those who wish can work as a journalist, and the government does not impose restrictions on them.

"The tendencies and priorities of media policy have conformed to our society. The main point is that there is free media, anyone can be a journalist, and journalists may collect and spread information about any event," he said.

The senior official also spoke about challenges facing the Azerbaijani media.

"The media should get rid of the trend of politicization. Currently, there is state-owned, opposition, independent and 'racketeering' media. The primary goal is the direction of the media's activity to the normal course," Hasanov said.

He said increasing the professionalism of journalists is another objective.

"The conditions of defamation require much greater respect for public norms than there is now. Either the media should be attentive to these issues or we will not be able to create these conditions," he said, suggesting that relevant courses could be opened.

Hasanov also spoke about the importance of getting rid of "racketeering" journalism, referring to journalists who work based on threats.

Touching upon the improvement of logistics of the media, Hasanov also spoke about the issue of transparency of assistance provided by the Azerbaijani state to the local media.

"I promise you that the distribution of homes being built for journalists will also be transparent and they will be given only to deserving journalists," Hasanov said.

In turn, acting head of the Foundation of State Support for the Development of Mass Media, Vugar Safarli, said construction of a building designed for journalists has been completed.

"The keys to the apartments will be presented to journalists on July 22, the National Press Day," Safarli said. He said the 16-storey building consists of 156 apartments.

Addressing the event, Press Council Chairman Aflatun Amashov spoke about the history of World Press Freedom Day.

He emphasized that the UN statement on the freedom of media in the world says that governments should not restrict the freedom of information.

Amashov pointed out that there is free press in the country and said all the events occurring in the country are brought to the public, with no restrictions imposed.