Azerbaijani ambassador to US: "Decriminalization of libel may cause complicated reaction in Azerbaijan"

Due to specific national thought, decriminalization of libel in Azerbaijan may cause complicated reaction, said ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States Yashar Aliyev, speaking at the hearings on Azerbaijan in the US Congress Helsinki Commission.

He noted that the government works in this direction, anyway.

The ambassador said that Eynulla Fatullayev, Ganimat Zahidov and Sakit Zahidov were arrested not because of the articles, they published in their newspapers, but for definite criminal actions. He listed the articles from the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan under which the aforementioned persons were sentenced.

He spoke of Azerbaijan's recent steps, taken in the sphere of democratization.

He said the government in cooperation with the Council of Press works at the document on state support of mass media and the day of human rights is marked in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, stressing the national and religious tolerance in Azerbaijan, the ambassador spoke of the consequences of Nagorno Karabakh problem and noted that Azerbaijan expects assistance of international organizations in this issue.

In conclusion of his speech, Y.Aliyev called on international organizations to abstain from biased judgments and hinting on the violation of rights in Armenia, said:

"Being friends, we expect that our mutual judgments will be as fair as our judgments about others", said he.

/Day.Az/