Azerbaijani Public marks International Journalists' Solidarity Day

On September 8, on the occasion of the International Journalists' Solidarity Day, a group of independent Azerbaijani journalists laid flowers to the tombs of Elmar Guseinov, editor-in-chief of the "Monitor" magazine, who was assassinated on March 2, 2005, at the threshold of his apartment, and Nadzhaf Nadzhafov, the first editor of the "Azadlyg" newspaper and the founder of modern Azerbaijani democratic press.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that Mekhman Aliev, director if the information agency "Turan", stated with regret in his speech at Elmar Guseinov's tomb that with every new year the number of participants of similar ceremonies in solidarity of journalists and in defence of the freedom of speech and press goes down. However, he called his colleagues to not despair. "The fight for the freedom of speech and press continues," he said. Mr Aliev called for immediate release of the convicted journalists and arrested bloggers.

The participants of the ceremony demanded from the authorities to find and punish the killers of Elmar Guseinov, and stop persecuting journalists.

The leaders of mass media and journalists' organizations, polled by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, were unanimous on the issue of the absence in Azerbaijan of journalistic solidarity. However, they differently explain the reasons of such situation.

Aflatun Amashev, head of the Board of Press, sees the reason in the absence of the economic grounds for the independence of press in Azerbaijan, despite certain positive steps.

"Instead of getting consolidated in counteracting the total advance of the authorities on the free press, certain media, including oppositional ones, make attacks on each other and on the journalistic organizations," said Emin Guseinov, director of the IRFS (Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety).

In the opinion of Azer Akhmedov, director of the "Azadlyg" newspaper, "we'll have solidarity in the press and in the society, when people will want to live in a free and civilized country, and when flattery and grovel will stop to be the means for achieving personal success."