Azernews.Az

The media is experiencing challenging times in Azerbaijan caused by discrepancies between the authorities and journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos Haraszti has said on a visit to Baku.
He said both sides should take steps to find a way out of the situation. "The government should liberalize the media market and abolish the provisions of the Criminal Code on defamation. Moreover, there should be no state media, while the media, in turn, should not publish unverified reports and regulate itself."
The OSCE representative said it was evident that the Azerbaijani government is trying to run the local media, which is unacceptable.
He emphasized that journalists should not face criminal charges over mistakes omitted during their professional activity.
"We are following the situation with freedom of speech in Azerbaijan and register the facts concerning violations of journalists' rights. The authorities should put an end to such instances in close cooperation with mass media. The authorities should not stand on guard of free press, but the press itself should safeguard its interests."
During the three-day visit that completed on Tuesday, Haraszti met with the employee of the Azadlig newspaper Agil Khalil who was recently attacked and enquired about the ongoing investigation into his case.
Haraszti also attended the presentation of the OSCE's guide on self-regulation of the media. He said that to solve the problems faced by Azerbaijani media, its full independence should be achieved. "The OSCE, for its part, will work in this direction jointly with other international organizations."
Representatives of the journalistic organizations attending the meeting requested that Haraszti exert influence on the authorities to release the three journalists still jailed in the country.
The presidential administration official Vugar Aliyev says international groups should work in two directions. "Along with supporting journalistic organizations, it is necessary to increase the professional level of journalists."
Aliyev said that since Azerbaijan was pursuing Western integration, the government's taking control over the media was impossible.