Azerbaijan is worse with media freedom and situation with journalists

A new journalists' organization named "Reporters' Freedom and Safety Institute" has been founded in Azerbaijan. Idrak Abbasov, one of the founders of the Institute, told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that the reason to set up the entity were multiple problems related to safety and protection of journalists, when they perform their duties. He marked that during recent years, not a single criminal case on the facts of violence or pressure on journalists has not been investigated or brought to its logic final. In most cases, the journalists injured when performing their duties received no moral or material compensation. Therefore, the priority directions of the Institute will be to render legal aid to journalists and defend their right to work. According to him, social defence of journalists is at a very low level, the basic blame resting not only on the authorities, but also on media managers. I. Abbasov stressed that the Institute will draft report on situation with the media and film documentaries on defence of journalists' rights.

Meanwhile today, on the World Day of Freedom of Press, the well-known human rights organization "Reporters without Borders" has published its Global Freedom of Press Index. The Index is defined annually on the basis of a particular situation and information on the media position in each country, policy of the authorities in the area of freedom of speech, and position of journalists. The sum up negative facts, and the more of them a country has, the worse is the state of affairs. Thus, under the total of 2004, Azerbaijan was ranked 136th among 167 countries having 49.67 points. However, the data for 2005 were still worse - 141st place and 51 points. "Last year, the freedom of press went sharply down in Azerbaijan. The murder of Elmar Guseinov, a well-known journalist is another evidence. And violence and prosecutions of journalists during the parliamentary elections have shown that suppression of the freedom of speech has strengthened," the report runs.

Out of the CIS countries, Azerbaijan is ahead of such countries like Belarus (152nd place and 61.33 points), Uzbekistan (155th place and 66.50 points) and Turkmenistan (165th place and 93.50 points). The worst is the situation in the North Korea, which took the last position again - 167th place with 109 points.