OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media concludes visit to Azerbaijan

On 26 April 2022, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded an official two-day visit to Azerbaijan.

Ribeiro met with high-level state authorities, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis  (Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Huseynli and Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Zahid Oruj, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kamran Aliyev, and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev.

Ribeiro also met with Executive Director of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ahmad Ismayilov, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva, as well as journalists and media and human rights experts.

Ribeiro and her counterparts discussed, among other things, concerns regarding the new Law “On Media”, on which the RFOM has commissioned a legal review which was published on 24 February 2022 (see here: https://www.osce.org/fom/66082). They further addressed issues related to other aspects of the regulatory framework for freedom of the media, both offline and online, as well as safety of media workers, including the cases of imprisoned journalists. In her meetings, Ribeiro underlined the important role of the government in ensuring an enabling working environment for journalists and expressed her readiness to provide necessary assistance and support to Azerbaijan in line with her mandate.

The Representative also participated and spoke at the roundtable “The rise of disinformation: impact on the media landscape and effective policy responses”, organized by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and ADA University (see full speech: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/517422).

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom