09 December 2008, 21:21
Internet Forum of Azerbaijan: stopping Western radio stations is inadmissible
The Internet Forum of Azerbaijan (IFA) has made a statement in the context of the intention of the National Television and Radio Board (NTRB) to stop broadcasting in local frequencies of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America and BBC.
Under the conditions when the cable-based, Internet and satellite broadcasting is insufficient and inaccessible for broad layers of the population, termination of these radio stations in local frequencies will restrict the right of citizens to obtain independent information, runs the document, now at the disposal of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
The IFA believes that the plans of the NTRB to stop the Western radio stations are contradictory to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 19 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and precedents of the European Court on Human Rights, and regards these plans as encroachment on pluralism and freedom of expression.
Besides, the IFA believes that in the conditions of increased value of the national frequency resources, it is necessary to reconsider the membership of the State Commission on Frequencies towards broader public control over this structure and increased role in this Commission of the civil and public sectors.
Author: Faik Medzhid, CK correspondent
