On Day of Press, Azerbaijani journalists pay tribute to their deceased colleagues

On July 22, Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of National Press. Exactly 133 years ago, on July 22, 1875, the first issue of the first newspaper in the Azerbaijan language named "Ekinchi" (Ploughman) was published by the outstanding Azerbaijani educator Gasan Bek Zardabi. The Day of National Press is marked since gaining independence by Azerbaijan in 1991.

Today, representatives of Azerbaijani independent mass media and human rights organizations paid a visit to the tombs of Gasan Bek Zardabi, TV reporter Chingiz Mustafaev, who perished in the Karabakh War, editor-in-chief of the "Monitor" magazine Elmar Guseinov who was killed on March 2 at the threshold of his own apartment, and Nadzhaf Nadzhafov, the founder of the modern democratic press of Azerbaijan.

Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, thinks that it is time for Azerbaijan "to compile the White Book and enter the names of the journalists - victims of the regime - into it." She reminded about assassinated Elmar Guseinov, Alim Kyazimov (photographer of the "Eni Musavat" newspaper) who died from a disease provoked by police violence, beaten and kidnapped journalists and psychological and physical pressure on Agil Halil, journalist of the "Azadlyg" newspaper.

In the opinion of Murad Sadaddinov, head of the Foundation in Defence of Human Rights and Democracy Progress, the conditions, in which Azerbaijani journalists have to work, are the most difficult all over the area of the OSCE and Council of Europe. Journalists receive scanty remuneration for their work, and the situation of journalists is one of heaviest in this respect. It is a restraint in development of professionalism.