Azerbaijan is seeing positive changes in the media sphere, the OSCE representative for freedom of the media, Dunya Miyatovich, said at a conference in Azerbaijan on Friday, Trend reports.
The official said that the country still needs to pass a law on defamation. She praised the view of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on free access to the Internet.
Miyatovich had meetings with high-ranking media officials. She said that there need to be more provocative topics and pluralism of opinions in media.
Azerbaijan is adapting to digital technologies fast. Attitude of citizens to journalists needs to be changed. Lack of punishment for journalists leads to more violence, she believes.
The main goal of the law on defamation is avoiding imprisonment of journalists and setting more proportional fines.
The law on defamation was developed with support of the OSCE office in Baku in 2005. MPs, members of media structures and lawyers worked on the document.
International organizations believe that articles 147 (slander) and 148 (insults), which provide jailing, should be removed from the Criminal Code.
Miyatovich says that journalists need to be impartial, independent and provide clarity.
