The Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued a statement.
Medianews.az reports that the statement says the annual report for 2025 published by the Council of Europe's Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists contains one-sided, biased remarks regarding the media environment in Azerbaijan.
In particular, the approaches reflected in the report concerning the amendments made to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Media" in 2025 are of a speculative nature.
It was emphasized that the amendments made to the Law "On Media" of the Republic of Azerbaijan were proposed based on the recommendations, desires, and suggestions of society and the media community, where the main goal is the preservation and purification of the information environment of the country, strengthening the media brand, enhancing the reputation of professional journalists, increasing sensitivity in state regulation within the context of combating various negative phenomena in the information space, and ensuring flexibility considering societal demands.
"One such speculative approach also appears in comments regarding print media entities. However, contrary to what is shown in the report, the relevant amendments include provisions prohibiting the use of expressions in the names of media entities that contradict public order, morality, and ethics and can mislead users, which is widely applied in foreign and international practice, serving to protect the rights of users regarding their expectations from the entity as well as the brand value of the media entities themselves.
It should be noted that there are no restrictions on the professional activities of journalists in Azerbaijan, and freedom of expression is fully guaranteed both legally and practically in the country.
At the same time, we emphasize that in the Republic of Azerbaijan, all citizens, regardless of race, religion, origin, sex, ethnicity, or professional affiliation, bear equal responsibility before the law. Regarding the specific individuals mentioned in the report, we note that it is clear from the details of the publicly available case materials that there is no connection between their professional activities and the criminal and administrative charges brought against them, and that the relevant allegations merely represent attempts at unsuccessful manipulation.
We also note that the requirement for the proper registration and inclusion in the Media Register of media entities applies to all media entities operating in the Republic of Azerbaijan, including branches and representative offices of foreign media entities, and that the new approaches in this direction are essentially only technical and organizational improvements.
When setting the requirements for including media entities in the Register as news agencies, the results of an analysis of current practice were taken as a basis, and the exceptional role of news agencies not only in providing content for consumers but also for other professional media entities was taken into account.
With regard to the material published on the Platform in 2024 related to the current situation of defamation legislation in our country mentioned in the report, we would like to remind that our position regarding the claims reflected in that material was officially conveyed to the other party in the same year.
It is regrettable that when such reports concerning Azerbaijan are prepared, the official position is not taken into account, and that probabilities, subjective opinions, and considerations are taken as a basis instead of facts," the statement said.