23:33, 22 December 2004

Azerbaijan downgraded to 'Not Free' in FH survey

In 2004, Azerbaijan has made a step backward - this country has been downgraded from "Partly Free" to "Not Free", the US human rights organization Freedom House (FH) announced in its annual survey. The main reason why the assessment of the situation in Azerbaijan was so negative is the 2003 presidential election. "Ilkham Aliyev came to power as a result of fraud and human rights violations, and it was the main reason for the country's negative category change," reads the report.

Though the Constitution and Azerbaijan legislation provide for freedom of speech and media, the government restricts these rights in practice, Freedom House stated in the surveyThe Yeni Musavat opposition newspaper and the Monitor magazine have been persecuted more then the others. Journalists underwent unexampled pressure, persecution and arrests during the presidential election in 2003. In particular, Yeni Musavat editor-in-chief Rauf Arifoglu was arrested. Azerbaijan authorities control national television and private TV channels. In 2003, media outlets have a limited opportunity of being printed in a state publishing house.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent