Azerbaijan criticizes Council of Europe for biased media claims

The Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan has criticised the 2025 annual report on press freedom in Europe published by the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, describing the document as one-sided and biased in its assessment of the media environment in Azerbaijan.

According to Caliber.Az, the agency said in a statement that the report contains speculative interpretations, particularly regarding amendments made to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Media” as of 2025.

“The amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan ‘On Media’ were proposed on the basis of recommendations, wishes and proposals from society and the media community, where the main goal is to protect and improve the information environment of our country, strengthen the media brand and enhance the reputation of professional journalists, as well as increase the sensitivity and flexibility of state regulation in the context of addressing various negative situations in the information space, taking into account the requirements of society,” the statement said.

The agency added that the report also includes what it described as speculative interpretations regarding print media entities.

“One such speculative approach is also evident in the opinions expressed regarding print media entities. However, contrary to what is stated in the report, the relevant amendments generally contain a provision prohibiting the use, on behalf of media organisations, of expressions that contradict public order, morality and ethics and that may mislead users. This provision is widely applied in foreign and international practice and serves to protect the rights of users as well as the value of media organisations’ brands,” the statement said.

The agency also emphasised that there are no restrictions on journalists’ professional activities in Azerbaijan.

“It should be noted that in Azerbaijan there are no restrictions on the professional activities of journalists, and freedom of expression in the country is fully guaranteed both legally and in practice,” the statement said.

The statement further stressed that all citizens in Azerbaijan bear equal responsibility before the law, regardless of their background or profession.

“At the same time, we emphasise that in Azerbaijan all citizens, regardless of race, religion, origin, gender, ethnic affiliation as well as professional affiliation, bear equal responsibility before the law,” the agency said.

Commenting on individuals mentioned in the report, the agency stated that the accusations against them are unrelated to journalistic work.

“As for the specific individuals mentioned in the report, we state that from the details of publicly available case materials, it is clear that there is no connection between the professional activities of these individuals and the criminal and administrative charges brought against them, and that the relevant accusations represent merely unsuccessful attempts at manipulation,” the statement said.

The agency also addressed the requirement that media entities be properly registered and included in the national media register.

“The requirement for proper registration of media entities and their inclusion in the media register applies to all media entities operating in Azerbaijan, including branches and representative offices of foreign media entities, and the new approaches in this direction are essentially only technical and organisational in nature,” the statement said.

It added that when establishing the criteria for including media entities in the register as information agencies, authorities took into account the results of an analysis of existing practice as well as the role of news agencies in providing content not only to readers but also to other professional media organisations.

The agency also referred to material published on the platform in 2024 concerning the state of defamation legislation in Azerbaijan, which is cited in the report.

“As for the material published on the platform in 2024 regarding the current state of defamation legislation in our country, which is referenced in the report, we would like to recall that our position regarding the claims reflected in that material was officially communicated to the other side in the same year,” the statement said.

The agency concluded that Azerbaijan’s official position is often not taken into account when such reports are prepared.

“Unfortunately, when preparing such reports on Azerbaijan, the official position is not taken into account, and assumptions, subjective opinions and considerations rather than facts are used as the basis,” the statement said.

By Tamilla Hasanova