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Top Azerbaijani official: Provisions on slander and insult still remain in legislation of leading states

31 May 2016 09:50 (UTC +04:00)

Hasanov said that the event on defamation held today is an issue that has long been discussed in Azerbaijan.

â€œThe bills on defamation were first proposed in 2005, 2011, and 2013, and were widely discussed. The outcome of the public discussions revealed that at a time people are frequently insulted in the media and the mediaâ€™s economic independence is weak and political polarization is so strong, the adoption of such a bill may unleash opposite effect and further complicate the problem,â€ the top official said. Â

In the first place, according to Hasanov, the economic independence of media outlets has to be strengthened, actions taken towards improving the professionalism of reporters, and political polarization in the media lowered, and then the adoption of such a bill may be considered.

â€œAlso, there was a need to take some necessary measures about preparing public opinion for this innovation. Since 2007, Azerbaijan, along with the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the European Union and international journalist organizations, has taken lots of measures on towards improving the professionalism of reporters, and achieved good results. On the orders and decrees of the Azerbaijani president, newspapers and information agencies were granted lump-sum financial aid, and actions were taken to strengthen the social defense of reporters,â€ he added.

The "Concept for State support for the development of media in Azerbaijan" was worked out in 2008 and the State Fund for Support of Mass Media Development under the President of Azerbaijan was created in 2009, said the president's aide.

The top official recalled that in 2009, Azerbaijan's president said it is inexpedient to hold the media criminally liable for the journalistic activities and defamation cases.

Meanwhile, removing the relevant articles from the Criminal Code deprives the citizens who are not involved in journalistic activities of the opportunity to protect their rights, honor and dignity, said the top official.

"Those provosions still remain in the legislation of the majority of the EU member states, including the leading countries," said Hasanov. "When coming to their non-application, there is a similar situation in Azerbaijan as well."

The top official pointed out that on Dec.27, 2011, Azerbaijan's president approved the National Program for Action to Raise Effectiveness of the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Azerbaijan and that program included a paragraph on adopting the law "On defamation".

The Press Council of Azerbaijan declared 2010 the Year of Defamation in Azerbaijan, journalism organizations put forward various initiatives regarding the law "On defamation" and draft laws were worked out with OSCE's support and submitted to Azerbaijan's parliament, he added.

"Although in 2013, Azerbaijan worked out a relevant draft law and submitted to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for examination, it became impossible to adopt the law due to the disagreements on a number of issues," said Hasanov.

Adoption of the law "On defamation" in Azerbaijan is not a finished issue, he said, adding that consistent work was carried out on this project. Â