16:42, 12 April 2005

Newspaper sale ban lifted

As a result of a long struggle of several newspapers and journalist organisations in Azerbaijan, the sale of opposition newspapers was resumed on the Baku underground on 11 April. It had been banned previously by an order of Tagi Akhmedov, director of the underground, and applied to the newspapers Yeni Musavat, Azadlyg, Baky-Haber, Bizim Yol and Futbol+.

The editors of these newspapers and journalists organisations had applied to numerous authorities. Several days ago, the RUH Committee to Protect Journalists applied to a court of law demanding that the sale of the abovementioned newspapers should be resumed on the underground and Tagi Akhmedov should pay a fine of 194 million manats. The Council of the Press addressed the president of Azerbaijan with a request to solve the problem. As a result, the sale of the newspapers was allowed. The editors are not going to abandon their lawsuit though. They say Mr Akhmedov should reimburse the loss their newspapers suffered during the ban.

More about freedom of press in Azerbaijan:

Human Rights Practices in Azerbaijan - 2004