Ali Hasanov: 'Everyone is free to express views, disseminate them in press and to inform society'

Nobody is persecuted and will not be persecuted for the freedom of opinion, the dissemination of information or writing articles in Azerbaijan, Head of Department on Social Political Issues of Presidential Administration of the country Ali Hasanov told journalists today.

"Azerbaijan fully ensures freedom of speech, opinion and information," he said. "Everyone is free to express the views, to disseminate them in the press and to inform the society."

The media expresses different opinions related to these or other issues in democratic Azerbaijan, Hasanov said.

"Numerous publications daily study and analyze the activity of state bodies, publish articles criticizing senior officials, state officials," Hasanov noted.

He added that while the press sometimes violates ethnic norms, the opinion about lack of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in such a country is a fiction.

"We are familiar with the situation in the countries without democratic freedom and informed of the state of their press. Can any foreign organization, international and local circles, claiming that Azerbaijan allegedly represses freedom of speech and press and that there is no freedom of opinion, mention the facts that the free expression of opinions is limited in the Azerbaijani society or their expression in media is limited? Can anyone, based on concrete facts, say that people are deprived of the opportunity to freely receive and exchange information, read publications, watch television, listen to the radio, or use the Internet ? Their reports, statements, disseminated information consist of subjective considerations due to the lack of such facts," Hasanov said.

"If there is another, more democratic form of freedom of expression and information, we are willing to familiarize with them with great pleasure," he underscored.

According to Hasanov, there is no fully unrestricted freedom in the world.

"The restrictions on freedom of expression and information are used even in international law in some form or another in all countries," he said. "No such thing as "we write as we please" exists in any country. Where one person's rights end, the other one's start. How can one person have unlimited rights, while there is no opportunity for other person's rights? In democratic societies such thing is impossible," Hasanov noted.

He added that democracy is the platform for free people's responsible activity.

"Democracy is a conscious discipline and order," he stressed. "Speaking of democracy, we understand the implementation of the right for people to freely express their potential and to understand the results. We are talking about responsible democracy. Therefore, we can not agree that some individuals try to depreciate our country, people and society, using pluralism in society."

He urged to fight with those who want to tarnish Azerbaijan.

"We - active citizens, intellectuals, young people must not be indifferent to those who tarnish the Azerbaijani society, on the basis of their own interests," he said. "We must respond to this by our activity."


/Trend/