Source: Turan.az
On October 13, a conference organized by the Council of Europe and dedicated to freedom of speech kicked off in Strasbourg, France. Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey and Hungary were criticized for serious violations of press freedom,
Turan
reports.
The conference participants mentioned investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. Lawyer of the European Court of Human Rights Ganna Yudkivska and Nani Jansen from “Media Legal Defense Initiative” drew attention to the case of Khadija.
A BAR member representing Azerbaijan, Anar Baghirov, said he was strongly dissatisfied with the criticism of Azerbaijan. He also expressed the position of the official Baku saying that the country defends freedom of the press and that 70% of the population has access to the Internet. According to Bagirov, the Azerbaijani journalists were prosecuted for specific criminal offenses.
Deputy chairman of the Press Council Mushfig Aleskerli also reiterated the official position of Azerbaijan expressing dissatisfaction with the frequent criticism of the country. Human rights groups accuse Azerbaijan of cracking down on freedom of expression and human rights ahead of the parliamentary elections in November.
