Journalists to wear special clothes in Azerbaijan

The Press Council in common with the Prosecutor General's Office, Interior Ministry and Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan have created a special commission to inquire into the beatings of journalists covering the demonstration of the opposition on October 15 and 16, 2003.

70 journalists were injured as a result of the clashes between protesters, special units and the police; two of them suffered severe concussions. ATV Channel correspondent passed out following a blow with a truncheon and remained lying under the feet of the fighting men. Twenty minutes had passed before her colleagues managed to pull her out from under the people's feet. The raging policemen ignored the passes shown by the journalists, confiscated their cameras, and broke their dictaphones.

To avoid such "incidents" from the direction of law enforcement agencies in future, the Press Council has come up with a design of the uniform for journalists. The new clothes will allow members of "the forth power" to stand out in the crowd. The Ministry of Interior has allocated 20 million manats (around $4,000) to make 500 sets of uniform. The OSCE has also promised its assistance in the matter.