Your trusted source

The Spokespersons of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, and Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, accused the final approval to the Criminal Code which will establish punitive measures against slander and insult on the internet, signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The statement can be found on the European Commission official website.

“The High Representative and the Commissioner were disappointed to learn of the final approval to the Criminal Code which will establish punitive measures against slander and insult on the internet. The EU is concerned at curbs on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan,” the statement of spokespersons of Catherine Ashton and Štefan Füle reads.

According to the statement 2013 is an important election year for Azerbaijan, a country which has committed to improve the general environment for democratic elections. One of the preconditions for creating an open platform for democratic competition is freedom of expression in all forms of public media.

“The EU has repeatedly expressed its strong conviction that criminal defamation laws are counterproductive. Experience suggests that civil remedies allow justice to be pursued effectively and transparently in cases of alleged slander or insult: such an approach is also in line with international standards and good practice,” the statement reads.

Catherine Ashton and Štefan Füle call upon the Azerbaijani authorities to create an open space for a pluralistic debate and to engage with the international community in order to meet its voluntarily agreed international commitments.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a law on the amendments in Criminal Code made by the Parliament on May 14. They extend criminal penalties against slander and insult on the internet. Both, Nils Mujzhnieks Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe and Dunja Mijatovic the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media have already condemned this decision of the President of Azerbaijan.