Joomla! site syndication http://azerireport.com 2010-09-09T07:20:12+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2010-09-07T13:08:04+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2340&Itemid=43 BAKU. September 7, 2010: Growing discontent is reported from the areas where people were to receive public compensation for the flood damage to their property alongside the Kur river. The local media in Azerbaijan has continued reporting about the public rallies against the government officials who were in charge of distributing this government compensation to the people affected by flood. In some cases the reports indicate that the government officials attacked and beat the people who complained that they received little or no compensation contrary to what the Azeri government officials declare from Baku. A group of Azeri news outlets and civic organizations, including the Turan News Agency established a Kur Civil Society in order to raise the awareness about the problems of the flooded regions of Azerbaijan. Last week, the Turan News Agency, acting on behalf of Kur Civil Society, sent a letter to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology Ali Abbasov, asking to clarify the situation with the distribution of the monetary compensation for the May-June 2010 flood. text/html 2010-09-07T12:44:27+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2339&Itemid=53 BAKU. September 7, 2010: Tina Kaidanow, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the State Department visited Baku on September 7. Tomorrow Kaidanow will have meetings with the high-ranking officials and representatives of the civil society, reported the U.S. Embassy to Azerbaijan (Turan). text/html 2010-09-06T08:09:26+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2336&Itemid=49 BAKU. September 6, 2010: The forum “Support to Freedom of Speech and Expression” will take place in Baku on September 7-9. This is what Arif Aliyev, chairman of Yeni Nesil (New Generation) journalism union, organized of the forum, has told about the forum to Objective TV. - What is the purpose of the forum? - Almost a year and half ago we have decided to hold such a forum. We think that protection of freedom of speech is a public mission and at the forum we are going to find out if there is a public opinion in Azerbaijan and if people are ready to express their civil position. - Has the government supported the forum? text/html 2010-09-06T08:31:19+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2338&Itemid=53 BAKU. September 6, 2010: Special OSCE representative for freedom of press Dunja Mijatovic called on Azerbaijani authorities to abolish repressive defamation laws and promote independent media-accountability system. The existence of criminal defamation legislation, which is meant to protect honor and dignity of people , remains one of the most often applied means of legal pressure on independent media in the OSCE region. It undeniably hampers the work of journalists by protecting the powerful from criticism. By generating the fear of prosecution, they impede free discussion of important public issues. This so-called chilling effect prevents the media from playing their watchdog function necessary to in a democratic society, namely from reporting on corruption, on the political process or from criticizing government officials. text/html 2010-09-06T08:17:33+01:00 http://azerireport.com http://azerireport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2337&Itemid=53 BAKU. September 6, 2010: The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France, and Robert Bradtke of the United States, released the following statement today: As part of their efforts to facilitate negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France; Ambassador Robert Bradtke of the United States; Ambassador Igor Popov of the Russian Federation) expect to be particularly active in the months leading up to the OSCE Summit.