BROADCASTER SHUT-DOWN, OFFICE EVICTIONS STIR FREE-SPEECH CONCERNS IN AZERBAIJAN
Rovshan Ismayilov
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 27 2006
An Azerbaijani state commission’s November 24 decision to suspend
broadcasts by independent television and radio station ANS, followed
within hours by the court-ordered eviction of pro-opposition media
outlets and an opposition party from their offices in Baku, has raised
concerns of freedom of speech in Azerbaijan. While the government
has not yet commented on recent developments, Western embassies and
international organizations have strongly condemned the moves.
The decisions bring to a head two long-standing tussles between
the government and independent media outlets. The first, with ANS,
Azerbaijan’s first privately owned broadcaster, focused on the
company’s right to rebroadcast foreign-produced news items. [For
details, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The second involves a
long-standing fight between the State Property Committee and several
pro-opposition tenants of a building in downtown Baku, including the
opposition Azadliq (Freedom) newspaper, the pro-opposition news agency
Turan and the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the country’s largest
opposition party, over their right to occupy a downtown building free
of charge. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The ruling on ANS came first. The National Radio and Television Council
(NRTC) decided not to prolong ANS TV and ANS CM radio’s broadcast
licenses. An NRTC press release cited "systematic violations by ANS of
the requirements of the law on broadcasting and not paying fines" as
the reason for the decision to suspend the company’s broadcast license.
Despite their ongoing dispute with the NRTC, ANS executives say that
the decision was unexpected. The council did not issue an official
warning to ANS executives that it was considering suspending the
stations’ broadcast licenses. Both ANS television and radio continued
to broadcast until 3:20 pm on November 24, when all satellite and
regular broadcast frequencies were cut off. The decision to stop ANS’
broadcasting was taken two days before the company’s 15th anniversary
as Azerbaijan’s first independent television and radio broadcaster.
Several hours after the decision, law enforcement agency and Ministry
of Communications representatives appeared at ANS offices and began
to dismantle the company’s transmitters and antennas. Access to ANS’
satellite broadcasting equipment was also blocked, while policemen
surrounded the company’s headquarters.
In response to the NRTC’s decision, ANS argued that the failure
of a court to rule on the broadcast suspension makes the NRTC’s
license suspension illegal. "Such actions by the NRTC cause damage to
Azerbaijan’s international image as a democratic state," a statement
issued by the media company read. The company said that it intends
to use "all means" to restore its broadcasts, and expressed hope
that President Ilham Aliyev would intervene on ANS’ behalf to find
"a fair solution."
"ANS was never involved in politics and I believe that the people
who took this decision will change it," commented Vahid Mustafayev,
president of the ANS Group of Companies, at a press conference on the
evening of November 24. "We will appeal to President Ilham Aliyev and
I hope he will be able to restore justice." A source within ANS, who
asked to remain anonymous, told EurasiaNet that the company had turned
down an offer from opposition parties to hold joint demonstrations
against the license suspension.
Other media organizations that have voiced criticism of the government
are now under pressure, too. A few hours after ANS was silenced,
the Azerbaijani Economic Court ordered the immediate eviction of
all tenants from the building involved in the Azadlig newspaper’s
dispute with the State Property Committee. While representatives from
Western embassies and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) looked on, more than 50 policemen, led by Baku Deputy
Police Chief Yashar Aliyev, blocked the building until November 25,
when trucks from the State Property Committee arrived to remove
the organizations’ property to office space on the outskirts of Baku
designated by the State Property Committee. The building is now empty,
sealed up and guarded by police.
The decisions, however, are unlikely to put either dispute to rest.
Already, the NRTC has announced plans to accept bids from other
interested parties for ownership of ANS’ television and radio broadcast
frequencies. "Next week we [the NRTC] will announce a new contest
for the ANS TV and ANS CM frequencies," the council’s chairman,
Nushiravan Maharramov, told the APA news agency on November 25. "Even
if ANS applies for these frequencies again, the preference will be
given to other candidates. The NRTC has the authority to do this."
The international community responded immediately to the NRTC’s
decision. Ambassador Maurizio Pavesi, head of the OSCE’s mission
in Baku, said in a statement that he was "perplexed as to why the
decision, which was issued in the absence of any definitive reasoning,
should come into force immediately." The independent television and
radio company "has always been considered by international observers
as the most objective in the country," he added.
The United States embassy, calling for reconsideration of the decision,
termed the closure of ANS a "serious blow to . . . freedom of the
media" that has placed "Azerbaijan’s commitments on democratic
development and freedom of speech under . . . question." The German
Embassy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, described the EU as
"very concerned," noting that it is "actively seeking an explanation
from the [Azerbaijani] government."
Azerbaijani media and analysts have reacted more strongly, with some
arguing that the decision to shut down ANS and evict the Azadliq
building occupants was made at the highest levels of the government.
"I am shocked by this news. I have no words to explain what is
going on in this country," commented Elchin Shikhlinsky, chairman
of Azerbaijan’s Journalists Union and editor-in-chief of the
Russian-language daily Zerkalo (Mirror), about the ANS decision. "I
did not hear a competent and reasoned explanation for this action. I
have more and more pessimism about the future of freedom of speech
in Azerbaijan."
One observer of the Azadlig building eviction process, which did not
involve the use of force, commented that intervention by a United
States Embassy official was required before police would allow the
pro-opposition Turan news agency to remove their property from the
State Property Committee-designated office space on the outskirts of
Baku to downtown offices already rented by Turan.
"We expected the court’s decision and had already rented another
office in downtown. So, we were going to move our property there. But
the police did not allow it," said Turan reporter Farid Gahramanov.
"They did not allow us to move it until the US embassy representative
called the police. Only after that we were able to rent new trucks
and return our staff back downtown."
Both ANS and parties involved in the Azadlig building dispute have
said that they plan to fight the decisions. A hunger strike conducted
by protestors at the Azadlig building since November 9 resulted in
the hospitalisation of Azadlig Editor Ganimat Zahidov on November 24.
Government officials have not issued statements on either decision
as yet. Speaking with a group of editors from the independent and
opposition press (Zerkalo, Echo, Yeni Musavat, Baki Khabar, Novoe
Vremya, Gun Seher, Azadlig and Turan news agency) on November 24 before
the ANS license suspension, US Ambassador Anne E. Derse stated that
she had discussed freedom of the press issues with President Aliyev
on November 23, and had urged a dialogue between the government and
independent media to resolve existing differences.
While editors at the meeting reportedly expressed interest in the idea,
the government has not responded.
Meanwhile, in the absence of official explanations for the November
24 decisions, observers are struggling to explain the authorities’
hasty actions.
Some conjecture that the measures taken against ANS and the Azadlig
building occupants may be designed to strengthen the government’s
position for taking a potentially unpopular position during the
expected November 28 meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian on the sidelines of a
Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Minsk. The two leaders
have agreed to discuss proposals for a resolution to their dispute
over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]
"Maybe they [the government] are getting ready to sign any agreement
with Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution," suggested
journalists’ union chief Elchin Shikhlinsky. "And we know that ANS,
which was the most popular television in the country, always was
strongly against any defeatist peace with Armenia."
Ilgar Mammadov, a Baku-based political analyst, shares this point of
view. "There is no logical justification for these actions [of the
authorities]. The only explanation is an upcoming possible breakthrough
on the Karabakh peace process," he said.
Another analyst, Eldar Namazov, a former opposition movement leader and
former advisor to the late President Heidar Aliyev, holds a different
view, however. "I do not expect the signing of any peace agreement
between Azerbaijan and Armenia," he said. "What happened with ANS and
the Azadlig building is just the reinforcement of authoritarianism
in Azerbaijan."
Instead of Karabakh, Namazov points to a recently floated proposal
that the constitution be amended to extend the president’s term
from five to seven years. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. "And the November 24 events are another attempt by the
ruling elite to secure power for a longer period."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
