Azerbaijan sets up Audiovisual Council

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijan plans to set up the Audiovisual Council and abolish the National Television and Radio Council (NTRC) under a presidential decree implementing the Law "On media" dated December 30, 2021, and regulating a variety of issues arising from it, local media have reported.

Under the decree, the Council is the legal successor of the NTRC, so the latter's obligations and property are transferred to the Audiovisual Council.

NTRC members whose terms of office have not expired continue their activities until the end of the period, and the NTRC apparatus will continue to function until the structure of the Council and the number of its employees are approved.

On February 8, President Ilham Aliyev signed the new law "On media".

The Azerbaijani parliament passed the new media law in December 2021. It establishes the general rules for organizing media activities, as well as the legal and economic foundations for these activities, as well as the receipt, preparation, transmission, production, and dissemination of mass information. The document is divided into nine chapters and 78 clauses.

The new bill is expected to play a significant role in addressing a number of current shortcomings in the media sphere and paving the way for the development of a regulatory framework that meets the most recent global standards.

It covers every detail, from increasing journalists' professionalism to resolving their social problems. This establishes the legal framework required for better information security protection in Azerbaijan.