AZERI OFFICIAL DISMISSES CRITICISM OVER PROSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
ANS TV, Baku
27 May 07
A high-ranking Azerbaijani official has denied the government’s
responsibility for lawsuits filed against local journalists.
The journalists convicted so far have defamed other people or have
been disrespectful to various religions, nations or groups of people,
Ali Hasanov, head of the public and political department of the
presidential administration, said in an interview with commercial
ANS TV’s "Zamana" programme on 27 May.
"The state is the guarantor of freedom of speech in Azerbaijan… but
this does not mean that we should deprive people of the right to
defend their honour and dignity in court," Ali Hasanov said. He
flatly denied any link between the lawsuits and the forthcoming 2008
presidential election.
He said that the Reporters Without Borders was a biased media freedom
watchdog because it had failed to criticize the French authorities
for a draft law which makes it a crime to deny the alleged Armenian
genocide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
