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CONDITION OF PRESS FREEDOM IN CAUCASUS |
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Azerbaijan As far as the media were concerned, the change in regime did not bring a change of atmosphere for the media. Ilham Aliyev continued his father's reign of terror on the media and Azerbaijani journalists have one of the most oppressive media climates in the Caucasus. The main problems that the media encounter are political economic and legal. The situation for the Azerbaijani independent and opposition mass media has deteriorated in 2004. As a result, several opposition publications have been closed down, journalists have been imprisoned, and bank accounts of newspapers critical of the government were frozen, destroying press distribution country-wide. More details about the attacks on journalists during the 15-16 October post presidential election street clashes came out. Ruslan Khalilov, a student and a journalist with the Jumhuriyet daily, was detained during the clashes. On 16 October, Khalilov was beaten by policemen in Azadliq Square and then detained at a police station until 24 October, when he was released. During his detention investigator Akif Mammedov reportedly tortured him. The transfer of power from the ailing Heydar Aliyev to his son Ilham was started long before the October 2003 presidential election. Initially, leaders of the newly independent republics of the former USSR (usually former first secretaries of the communist party) announced a process of democratisation, but in the mid 1990s this began to change, especially in the Caucasian and Central Asian republics. This year Azerbaijan saw numerous attacks on the independent media and the October elections were marred by violence. The presidential election was won by Ilham Aliyev, the former prime minister, by a landslide. Opposition supporters went to the streets to protest the result. Heydar Aliyev’s death was announced on 12 December, two months after the infamous presidential election. Over seventy journalists were injured during the demonstrations on 15-16 October. All of the Caucasus republics had elections this year, but the reaction of the Azeri government caused the largest number of press freedom violations during the election period. World Press Freedom Review 1998-2004 for Azerbaijan (full version) ........................................................................................................ Armenia Although there is no direct censorship in Armenia and a plurality of media exists, there are signs that the media in Armenia are not completely free. In a report Article 19 praised Armenia for achieving some important progress in protecting freedom of the media, but warned that its commitments to the Council of Europe remained unfulfilled. The report also expressed serious concern regarding media freedom in the country and stressed the lack of pluralism in the electronic media. The report also criticised the Armenian government for failing to decriminalise libel offences after a careful review of sections of Armenia's new Criminal Code that impose heavy fines and up to five years in prison for journalists convicted of slandering government officials or politicians. On 14 January, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan signed the law "On Mass Information," accepted by the National Assembly. The bill had been examined by the Council of Europe, Hamburg University and Article 19, as well as some Armenian media and journalists' organisations. The law states that the Armenian mass media are equal and work independently on the basis of freedom of speech, lawfulness and pluralism of opinions. Censorship is prohibited. On February 19, the Freedom of Information Civic Initiative, which unites three NGOs - the Freedom of Information Center, the Media Law Institute and the Civil Society Institute - asked for the 12 February draft bill introducing amendments and additions into the Law "On Freedom of Information," to be withdrawn. They stated that the proposed amendments would weaken key guarantees in the existing Law on Freedom of Information and undermine the public's right to know and good governance in Armenia. Armenia was one of the signatories to a document adopted on 12 February by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers that protects a journalists' right to "disseminate negative information and critical opinions" about government ministers without incurring the risk of criminal prosecution for libel, except in special circumstances. Michael Danielian, the Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association and a correspondent for the Russian news agency Prima, was attacked on 30 March. Four unidentified individuals assaulted Danielian, when he was on his way home after walking his dog. The journalist had to be hospitalised. Danielian believes that this attack was provoked by his work. World Press Freedom Review 1998-2004 for Armenia (full version) ........................................................................................................ Georgia Georgia's regime change in November 2003 had created hopes that the mass media would have more freedom, than under Eduard Shevardnadze. However, attacks on the media continued after the "Rose Revolution," and many journalists say that little has improved. According to reports, the authorities continued to apply pressure on mass media. The Ajaria Autonomous Republic was of particular concern in the beginning of the year. In one week, several journalists have been set upon, physically attacked or prevented from working in the region where a state of emergency was declared on 7 January 2004. Since the departure of Eduard Shevardnadze, the authorities in the region have effectively refused to accept the authority of Nino Burdjanadze, who was interim president until Mikhail Saakashvili, elected on 2 January, took over. Irakli Shetciruli, a journalist for the Rustavi 2 television channel, was prevented from crossing the Chokoli administrative border during the night of 7 to 8 January. A member of the security forces made a sarcastic comment that Rustavi 2 had caused a revolution in Georgia and asked if the journalist was planning on doing the same in Adjara. Ajarian authorities said the refusal was legitimate due to the state of emergency in the Republic. On 11 January, a group of around 15 men assaulted Mzia Amaglobeli and Eter Turadze, journalists for the magazine Batumelebi ("Batumians"), damaged the camera of Imedi reporter Diana Trapaidze, and seized the video equipment of Nestan Shechladze of Rustavi 2. Trapaidze and Shechladze were also attacked on 10 January after they filmed police ripping down posters of the Kmara protest movement. Tedo Jorbenadze, a journalist with the Batumelebi magazine, who was also there, was beaten by police officers. The three journalists were detained for less than an hour and then released after the intervention of a former Adjarian parliamentary deputy, Aslan Smirba, and the interior ministry press officer Davit Gergedava. On 13 January, the film crew of the Imedi TV company were attacked near the Ministry of State Security in Ajaria. The cameraman, David Gogitauri, was assaulted and a camera taken. The crew was filming the new Georgian flag hanging on a building in Batumi and they wanted to interview the man who had raised it. In February, unidentified individuals broke windows inside the Tbilisi apartment of Zviad Pochkhua, president of the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists and editor-in-chief of the Georgian Times. World Press Freedom Review 1998-2004 for Georgia (full version)
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Newspapers in Caucasus |
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525-ci Gazet
(Baku) |
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Aragil News |
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AZG
Armenian Daily |
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A1
Plus TV - Armenian |
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Civil Georgia |
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Svobodnaya Gruzia |
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Caucasus Media Investigation Center. 2005 |
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