Media

Media

Aflatun Amashov: â€œWe will address the president about pardoning the arrested journalists in the next few daysâ€

09 July 2008 12:07 (UTC +04:00)

-What measures will the Press Council take on the Press Day?
-The Press Council organizes receptions every year on the Press Day after its establishment. It will be so this year too. Representatives of mass media, international organizations, embassies and others will be invited to the reception on July 21. Media Key Prize founded by the different media organizations on the occasion of the Press Day will be presented to its winners.
-Is the Concept of State Support to Media Development goung to be adopted on the eve of Press Day?
-There are expectations on this issue. I expected for the document to be adopted on the eve. The Concept will be a serious document for carrying out the serious measures toward the development of Azerbaijani press.
-At the V Congress of Azerbaijani Journalists you addressed the president about releasing of arrested journalists. Can you address on this issue again on the eve of Press Day?
-The Press Council always focuses on the issue of arrested journalists. The Councilâ€™s intention is that there will not be arrested journalists in Azerbaijan. We will make our best to achieve releasing of our colleagues in jail. We addressed the president at the Congress and in the next few days we will send this address to the President of Azerbaijan. Its text will be approved at the first meeting of the Press Councilâ€™s Governing Board.
-You made decision to remit membership fee debts to the Press Council. Will the membership fee issues be regulated seriously further?
-There were media organizations not to pay membership fee and we remitted the debts until 2008. We ask the debtors to pay membership fee for this year. I think they can do that. It is not a big figure. Annual fee is 150 AZN for the daily newspapers, agencies and journalist organizations. I guess the membership fee can be paid and it is only real connection between the mass media organizations and the Press Council. We will seriously regulate the payment of membership fees further.
-How will proper commissions of the Press Council function after that?
We will strengthen the activity of commissions of the Press Council. For example, Commission on Economic Development will seriously be engaged in State Conception on Development of Press. Azerbaijan takes serious measures to allocate official announcements in mass media. It demands strengthening of activity of commission. We want to establish such mechanism not to bring journalists into court and solution to problems concerned with press in Press council. Press Council Commission on Law should be work actively to prevent such situations. We will strengthen activity of the commission as well. We plan to establish Commission on racket journalism. The commission will combat only racket press. We intend to establish gender commission to realize proposal on the agenda during congress. The commission will investigate gender problems in journalism and will facilitate solution ways of problems. Moreover, there is commission on solution to problems between official bodies and the government. After death of Chairman Ibrahim Mammadli, activity of commission has weakened. We will take all measures to strengthen the activity of Commission. We try to realize activity of commissions in all fields of press.
-Will the first meeting of Management Board discuss the forming process of commissions?
We want to carry out it soon. We want very commission learn problems in its fields, determine further actions, approve plans. Press Council will strengthen its activity in three directions. Firstly it will improve finance problem. It will link with State Conception, which envisages implementation of documents. We aim to improve legal framework on providing information to journalists, society. Second issue includes release of imprisoned journalists as well. The third direction is to investigate social problems of journalists and find ways of solution. We will establish commission on it. The Commission will investigate social problems, make plan on solution to them and implement these actions.