Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost. – Thomas Jefferson
Europe & Eurasia
Azerbaijan
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| IREX Score: 1.65 | [IREX Methodology] |
| {Higher is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 4.00} |
IREX Description:
Media freedom remains a critical issue—attacks on journalists are common, and perpetrators are not punished. Defamation is still a criminal offense, and 2010 saw further worsening of legal and social defense of free speech. In February, the Azerbaijani parliament approved amendments to five existing media laws, including banning journalists from filming, recording, and photographing without permission—a move media activists characterized as "a further blow to information gathering." Other problems that have long plagued the Azeri media persist. The allotment of broadcast media licenses, for example, remains a strictly political affair, although print media enjoy greater freedom. Despite an increase in ambitious, quality media, fair and objective reporting remains rare.
Restricted access to information compounds the problem. Despite a law that envisions equal rights for public and independent media, representatives of independent media are routinely refused accreditation for state events.
| Freedom House Score: 79 (Not Free) | [Freedom House Methodology] |
| {Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 100} |
| Freedom on the Net Score: 48 (Partly Free) | [Freedom House Methodology] |
| {Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 100} |
As Azerbaijan’s internet usage has exploded in recent years, the authorities have attempted to exercise greater control over the medium, though it remains much less restricted than print and broadcast media, which are the main sources of news for most citizens. In early 2010, the government expressed its intent to require internet-service providers (ISPs) to obtain licenses and sign formal agreements with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, although those plans seem to have been put on hold.1There have sporadically been blocks imposed on certain websites and some officials have also called for the licensing of websites, including online news outlets. The authorities have used the criminal justice system to limit online expression, and two bloggers were imprisoned in 2009; the pair was released in November 2010 following an international campaign on their behalf.
Read more on Freedom House's site...
| RSF Score: 56.38 | [RSF Methodology] |
| {Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to ~120} |
Reporters Without Borders Description:
Ilham Aliyev’s relations with the very few independent media in Azerbaijan are tinged with authoritarianism and terror. Journalists who dare to speak out about the evils of the regime including corruption and high unemployment expose themselves to real danger. Agil Khalil, a young journalist on the daily Azadlig, was driven into exile in 2008 after escaping a murder attempt. He had to give up his job his family and his country after he reported on dubious practices on the part of the secret services. Despite numerous appeals to the president from the international community, the journalist continued to face violence assaults and a sham trial. And exposing crime in the country can be as dangerous as exposing corruption. Four journalists working for the Turan Agency and the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), were mistreated and threatened by police at the start of 2009 as they tried to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a family man at the start of 2009 in the Azeri exclave of Nakhichevan at the Iranian-Armenian border. Since then journalists have been banned from Nakhichevan. Several journalists are currently in prison in the country.
| Committee to Protect Journalists Description: | [What is the Committee to Protect Journalists?] |
Top Developments
• European Court orders release of Eynulla Fatullayev; government still jails editor.
• News sites report periodic blocking, typically when sensitive stories are posted.
Key Statistic
4: Journalists interrogated by security agents after running a statement from the jailed Fatullayev
The authoritarian government of President Ilham Aliyev relied on imprisonments and an atmosphere of impunity to suppress independent journalism. Aliyev, who essentially inherited the presidency of the strategic Caspian Sea nation from his father, used the country's vast oil and gas resources to play off the competing interests of traditional partners Russia and Turkey with those of newer allies such as the European Union and the United States.
Visit CPJ’s Site for Recent Developments in this Country
| IFEX News: | [What is IFEX?] |
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