Presidential decree worries media

Last week’s presidential decree on state secrets has caused concerns in both local and international media, with many labeling the act as an endeavor to restrict the freedom of expression and disregard international norms. The leading international human rights group Article 19 has also opposed the decree.

What disturbs journalists most in the decree “Regulations for prevention of spread of state secrets in media” dated 24 August is their waiting a week to confirm that the information is not of state importance.

Yeni Nasil (New Generation) independent journalistic association has also expressed worry over the regulations, saying the responsibility for protection of state secrets shouldn't be put on journalists and the court's exclusive prerogative to demand that journalists show the sources of information shouldn't be transferred to any other body.

The procedure the association says is the restriction on the right to information and a direct path to censorship.

“The existing legislation doesn’t set clear-cut boundaries for state secrets, which have broader frames, paving the way for government abuses”, Yeni Nasil chief Arif Aliyev told local Turan news agency.

He has lobbied for amendments to laws on the freedom of expression and state secret in compliance with Azerbaijan’s Council of Europe commitments, calling on the government to urgently make the changes.

The association is organizing a roundtable "Legislation on state secrets and media" at the Press Club of Baku Wednesday to pinpoint the areas of concern over the new regulations, with participation of human rights groups.

Worry

The London based Article 19 has seen some points of the regulations, especially numerous obligations on media, troublesome. One of the controversial demands is that articles on state secrets should be first forwarded to the Commission for Protection of State Secret under the President for consideration.

The human rights watchdog believes this practice will turn into censorship and hamper allocation and spread of information.

“Protecting state secrets is not media’s, but government’s business”, it has said.

The notion of state secrets extends to a wider area of corruption, use of funds, ecology, and public health. Such regulations are presumed to restrict the freedom of expression and contradict international norms, the human rights group has commented.