Ilgar Mamedov: suspension of foreign radio stations deprives Azerbaijanis of objective information

Suspension in the new year of broadcasting of western radio stations has actually deprived citizens of Azerbaijan of the last source of objective information. This statement was made by independent political scientist Ilgar Mamedov, co-founder of the public association named "Republican Alternative - REAL".

We remind you that starting January 1, 2009,  Azerbaijan stopped broadcasting of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America and BBC in local FM frequencies. The decision was made by the National Television and Radio Board (NTRB) of Azerbaijan and motivated by the provisions in legislation on inadmissibility of broadcasting foreign programmes in national frequencies.

"This decision of the authorities of the country has actually deprived the Azerbaijani radio listener of the last opportunity to receive objective news and hear objective analysis of political and economic events," said Mr Mamedov in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He treated the statements of the authorities about alternative opportunities to listen to foreign radio stations as "cynical".

"None of the ways of broadcasting through the Internet, cable network, satellite communication or short waves fails to ensure the same qualitative and operative access to information like FM broadcasting," Ilgar Mamedov asserts.

"These three radio stations provided their listeners with the most balanced and truthful information in the open format, when people could express their opinions and viewpoints live. The radio stations never imposed their prefabricated opinions; the listener could make conclusions him- or herself. There's nothing of the kind in our national broadcasting system," said independent lawyer Erkin Gadirli, member of the National Committee of Azerbaijan for European Integration.

According to Mr Gadirli, certain debates are held by public television, but the range of debated topics is restricted, and, which is most important, the debates are not live; there are opportunities to cut critical viewpoints out of the recordings.

Film director Ayaz Salaev believes that any attempts to suppress objective sources of information give an opposite effect: the popularity, value and influence of sources of such information are growing.

Emin Guseinov, Director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), believes that the decision to ban broadcasting of foreign radio stations has political context. The stations were deprived of broadcasting because they provided time for expressing oppositional views.

He made an assumption that "the last drop" was the Liberty operation during the presidential election on October 15, 2008, when reporters of the radio station gave operative reports about all facts of breaching the law that "brought to nothing all the power of the propaganda campaign held by the authorities."