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Alert

IPI concerned about harassment of the media during parliamentary elections

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Vienna, 11 November 2005

IPI Concerned About Harassment of the Media During Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan

According to information before IPI, several journalists and other media workers covering the November election campaigns, including the parliamentary elections, have been beaten, arrested, prevented from entering polling stations, and otherwise harassed.

The Turan Information Agency reported that the National Television and Radio Council banned foreign news crews from broadcasting live during the elections due to a lack of regulations in this area.

Furthermore, according to reports, on 4 November, guards on the Russia-Azerbaijan border confiscated satellite dishes from the news crews of Russian state television channels RTR and NTV. In October, a bus travelling with satellite equipment from the Turkish news agency IHLAS managed to enter the country, but was turned back by Azerbaijani authorities. In addition, television channels were forced to broadcast via the Mir channel, which further limited the reporting opportunities of television journalists.

On 6 November, Yeni Musavat journalist, Mahabbat Orujev, was beaten and detained by police for several hours in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, for allegedly biased reporting. Journalists Azer Ayhan and Rey Kerimoglu were insulted and ejected from polling stations in other parts of Baku by men claiming to be police officers in plainclothes. Nabi Alishev, Habiba Abdulla, and Ruslan Bashirli, journalists who work for the daily Baki Khabar, were beaten or insulted at various polling stations in Baku.

Anar Orujev, a correspondent for the opposition weekly Paytaht, was also ejected from a polling station in Baku by men claiming to be police officers in plainclothes. Shakir Izziatoglu, who works for the opposition weekly Gyrhchirag, was beaten when covering the work of polling stations in the town of Ali-Bayramli, near Baku.

On 3 November, a correspondent for the Yeni Sabah newspaper, Kenan Rahimov, was arrested by Interior Ministry Officers at the Office of the Human Rights House, and apparently detained for several hours.

Commenting on the situation, IPI Director Johann P. Fritz said, "IPI is worried about this trend, particularly after the unrest of the 2003 presidential election, which was marred by violence and saw numerous attacks on the independent media."

"At that time, over seventy journalists were injured during the demonstrations on 15-16 October 2003, and there were more assaults on journalists after the elections were over. Newspapers were also prevented from publishing their editions," Fritz said.

"We call on the authorities to do everything in their power this year to prevent an outbreak of violence and harassment of the media."

IPI, the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.