Azeri authorities ban sale of papers in Baku city centre

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
1 Jun 05

[Presenter] Baku’s Trade and Service Department has given international
organizations fresh ammunition to criticize Azerbaijan. Following
Baku metro chief Tagi Ahmadov’s example, the department has imposed
a ban on the sale of newspapers in Fountain Square [Baku city centre].

[Correspondent over video of Baku] The Trade and Service Department
has imposed a ban on the sale of newspapers and magazines in Fountain
Square and Nizami Street. Saying that over 200 people have lost their
jobs following this decision, entrepreneurs complained that employees
of the department do not produce any documents while removing the
newsstands.

[Racab Cafarov, entrepreneur] Everything else is allowed, for example,
ice-cream vendors still have licences. But the situation is difficult
when it comes to the papers. The papers are sold in the streets in
all civilized countries. We have been selling papers in these streets
for many years.

[Ibad Manafov, entrepreneur] I do not understand why only newspapers
cannot be sold in the streets. We have been selling papers to people
and paying taxes for many years. We are legal entities that pay
taxes in a simplified way. We do not understand it. I want to ask if
the department is engaged in racketeering since its employees come,
insult and beat up people and impound their items without introducing
themselves.

[Arif Asgarov, entrepreneur] My press distributing firm has been
operating in Baku for 10 years now. We have been paying taxes in time
throughout this period. We sell the best Azerbaijani magazines and
papers from Moscow and they sell very well. Most of the vendors here
are veterans of the Afghanistan war, the Karabakh war and members of
martyrs’ families.

[Correspondent] The entrepreneurs said that they had lost more than
10bn manats because of the department’s unlawful acts and use of
force while removing the newsstands.

The department’s response was brief – the department chief has issued
an instruction that no information should be given to ATV in this
regard, end quote.

Qalib Sukurov and Arif Mammadov, “Son Xabar”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress