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Azerbaijani journalists discuss amendments to their Professional Ethic Rules

12 August 2010 15:12 (UTC +04:00)

Chairman of the Press Council Aflatun Amashov said proposals and amendments were elaborated by the Councilâ€™s and OSCE experts in Baku. He said they were making joint efforts for adoption of defamation law at the parliament.

Head of the OSCE Office in Baku Ali Bilge Cankorel said he discussed above-mentioned issues with the government officials and he welcomed the Press Councilâ€™s efforts toward it. â€œWe are willing to support this process. We want to see the Press Council as an organization, which covers all press institutions in the countryâ€. Cankorel said OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media Dunja Mijatovic would visit Azerbaijan in September.

Member of the Press Council, MP Agil Abbas debated the issue of private life immunity with IREX expert, lawyer Alasgar Mammadli. Abbas based on the Constitution and said private life has immunity in any case, but Mammadli said there were some exceptional cases. He said it needed to distinguish private life and illegal actions.

Editor-in-chief of â€œAzerbaijanâ€ newspaper Bakhtiyar Sadigov said all media organizations and journalists, not depending on their relations with the Press Council, should observe the professional ethic norms. He thinks that professionalism in Azerbaijan is reducing.

Editor-in-chief of the â€œKhalg cebhesiâ€ newspaper Elchin Mirzabeyli supported the amendments to the rules, but noted that the rights of citizens and press should be protected in a balanced way.

Member of the Press Council, APA Director General Vusala Mahirgizi underlined that there was no need for some proposed amendments. According to her, information sources should be respected, the source can be revealed only through the court. Vusala Mahirgizi did not agree to the view in the proposals â€œIf the event is sensational, it should not be releasedâ€.
â€œIf the event is sensational, it should be released, everybody will release it,â€ she said.
She also objected to the view â€œJournalist must not give money to the sourceâ€.
â€œIn practice journalists sometimes give money and get information, interview,â€ she said.

Lawyer of the Press Council Shamsaddin Aliyev agreed to a part of Vusala Mahirgiziâ€™s views. He gave concrete proposals.

Chairman of the Council of State Support for Mass Media under Azerbaijani President Vugar Safarli offered to set up a working group to generalize the proposals. The proposal was accepted and a working group was set up. The group includes APA Director General Vusala Mahirgizi, editor-in-chief of the â€œAzerbaijanâ€ newspaper Bakhtiyar Sadigov, lawyer of the Press Council Shamsaddin Aliyev, editor-in-chief of the â€œYeni Musavatâ€ newspaper Rauf Arifoglu, IREX lawyer Alasgar Mammadli, editor-in-chief of the â€œKhalg cebhesiâ€ newspaper Elchin Mirzabeyli, members of the Press Council Mushfig Alasgarli, Agil Abbas and Umud Rahimoglu.

Press Council and OSCE Office in Baku launched a joint project in March to improve the professional ethic rules of journalists and support the initiatives on defamation. One more roundtable will be held within the framework of the project this month. A conference with participation of the international experts will be held early in September.