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OSCE â€œMedia self-regulationâ€ book presented in Baku

07 April 2008 10:47 (UTC +04:00)

â€œit is not correct to demand real responsibility from the half-independent mediaâ€, said Aflatun Amashov, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Press Council at the ceremony. Amashov said he believed that media ombudsman institution would be established in Azerbaijan. Arif Aliyev, Chairman of the â€œYeni Nasilâ€ (New Generation) Union of Journalists divided the Azerbaijani media into two parts â€“ bringing under the Government and protesting it. In his opinion, this problem should not be studied by the international organizations, but the media organizations of Azerbaijan. Miklos Haraszti said that the Government should not protect the freedom of press, but the journalists had to do that. â€œMedia should not belong to the Governmentâ€. Miklos Haraszti said criminal case against the journalists for libel, defamation and offenses was unacceptable. He said there was no Mass Media with full responsibility in the world and the commercial media had always existed. OSCE representative expressed concern over the arrest of journalists in Azerbaijan. Arzu Abdullayeva, Chairwoman of the Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly complained about the absence of free and independent TV channel and real public television in Azerbaijan. Vugar Aliyev, Sector Chief of the Public Policy Department of the Presidentâ€™s Office said the activity of the media was regulated by the legislation in Azerbaijan and absorption idea was not useful. Ismail Omarov, head of the Public Television said he took centrist position and had equal relations with both Government and Opposition. Gudrat Hasnguliyev, Member of the Parliament, saying that non-cooperation between the Government and Opposition creates tensions, drew attention to the coverage of this problem. He has also emphasized that Azerbaijan needs to the constitutional reforms.