"Article 19": no progress in openness of information in Azerbaijan

Today in Baku, the international journalistic organization "Article 19" has held a presentation of the report on the state of affairs in Azerbaijan in the sphere of the freedom of obtaining information. The report under the figurative title "Time to Reset Code Locks" covers a four-year period (2005-2009). The research studied the issues of receiving answers to requests submitted to state bodies.

Nathalie Losecoot, a senior programme officer of the organization and coordinator of the project, has noted that Azerbaijan "has widespread practice of non-presenting answers to requests"; whereas even in case of rejection there should be a clear motivation with reference to law provisions. Although, as Ms Losecoot has added, "the public is not always persistent enough in striving to obtain information."

As a whole, when summing up 4 years of monitoring, the representative of "Article 19" said that "no serious improvements" had been revealed in the sphere of the freedom of information in Azerbaijan.