Azerbaijan is marking National Press Day today. It coincides with the day the Akinchi newspaper of Hasan bey Zardabi was published in 1875-1877. The press helped Azerbaijan form the First Democratic Republic and give women the right to vote in 1919, Oxu.az reports.
Respect for thought and expression, pluralism and tolerance became the main principles of the national press in the 1980s.
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev signed the decree on realization of freedom of speech, thought and information in 1998. Censorship was banned in the mass media, boosting their development.
Azerbaijan became part of the global information system. It formed a Press Council and adopted a law on mass information (December 7, 1999).
