On 1 August 1996, the Minister of Information and the Media, Nariman Hasanzade, wrote to the head of the Azerbaijan publishing company, Nazim Ibragimov, ordering him to stop printing the independent daily “Avrazia”. At a meeting with the newspaper’s publisher, Irfan Sapmaz, the minister complained about six stories published recently in “Avrazia”. The topics of […]
On 1 August 1996, the Minister of Information and the Media,
Nariman Hasanzade, wrote to the head of the Azerbaijan publishing
company, Nazim Ibragimov, ordering him to stop printing the
independent daily “Avrazia”. At a meeting with the newspaper’s
publisher, Irfan Sapmaz, the minister complained about six stories
published recently in “Avrazia”. The topics of the stories were
politically sensitive, such as radar facilities at the Gabala
Russian military base, statements by a member of parliament
criticising the Azeri army, the death of Azeri citizens in Russia,
political tension between Russia and Georgia, and a note sent by
the Azeri Foreign Ministry to the Iranian Embassy in Baku. Since 3
August, Avrazia has ceased publication for an indefinite period.
According to RSF, the minister’s move infringes Article 14 of the
law on the media, which states that the decision to close a
publication can only be taken either by its founder or by a court,
and in no circumstances on the orders of a ministry.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Azeri authorities:
the most serious violation of press freedom in Azerbaijan since
the start of the year
publication as usual
Appeals To
His Excellency Haidar Aliev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan
Fax: +994 12 93 56 43
Mr Nariman Hasanzade
Minister of Information and the Media
Baku, Azerbaijan
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
