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No More Free Radio/TV In AzerbaijanAfter smoldering for weeks, the Azeri government finally acted on its displeasure with television and radio broadcaster ANS. News accounts show a revolting picture of police surrounding the stations’ as authorities moved in to shut them down.
“We will be asserting our rights in the court,” announced ANS president Vakhid Mustafayev. “This decision was completely unexpected.” Perhaps not coincident, ANS 15th anniversary party scheduled for Sunday was cancelled.
The regulators decision was not entirely unexpected. Six weeks ago (October 13), NTRC ruled that the re-broadcasting of BBC, RFE/RL and VOA programs must stop without a license, effective January 1, 2007. The ruling did not affect broadcasts from Russia broadcasters OTR and RTR, Turkish channels TRT and SVT or Radio France International which, unlike the BBC, RFE/RL or VOA, do not broadcast in the Azeri language. BBC Radio Baku, operating with its own license, is not affected by the ruling. (See RFE/RL statement) Popular television and radio broadcaster ANS has raised the government’s ire since the 2003 elections. And, too, the broadcaster has been linked to Farkhad Aliyev, former Azeri Economic Development Minister arrested in 2005 and still in prison. The television station had been operating since 1991 but without a license, always under review, since 2003. ANS, which has fought the government in court for several years, said NTRC’s interpretation of the media law is flawed. Media watchers chimed in with condemnations after the October NTRC postulation. Reporters Without Frontiers (RSF) said the Azeri government feared the independence of international media. “The National Council for Television and Radio is unfortunately under the control of the political authorities, who seem to want to limit the influence of western media, above all,” said the RSF statement of October 17. “I'm perplexed,” Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) head of mission in the Azeri capital Baku Maurizio Pavesi said Friday, “as to why the decision, which was issued in the absence of any definitive reasoning, should come into force immediately. The usual recourse to appeal seems to have been overlooked.” Pavesi noted that OSCE election observers found the ANS stations’ news coverage “the most objective in the country.”
Critics, who tend to oppose the government, see a concerted effort to curtail foreign broadcasting with potentially critical views. Some, too, have suggested that the government wants to take over ANS, thus diffusing not only a critical voice but controlling a healthy source of income. ANS reports that the company paid $2 million in taxes in 2005. Interviewed by Today.az, NTRC Chairman Nushiravan Maharramli quoted each statute of ANS’ violations. He said ANS’ frequencies would be put up for tender and ANS would not be prevented from re-applying but “other contenders are preferable.” Maharramli revealed much of the motivation for shutting down the ANS stations and warning others broadcasting foreign programs in an earlier interview broadcast on Azeri State TV: “We believe that foreign TV broadcasts in Azerbaijan should comply with international standards. Otherwise, we may face surprises on TV channels every day, be it Turkish or Russian channels. “Speaking frankly, we thought that Russia is more likely to give us such surprises, but this time round it came from brotherly Turkey, therefore, we should take a harsher position on the issue. “We should start putting the harsh provisions of the law into practice.” NTRC will review other broadcasters’ licenses in the coming week. |
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“Prolonging” the ANS stations’ licenses brought the Azeri National Council for Television and Radio (NCTC) to meet Friday (November 25) to rule on violations of Azeri laws. By 1500 local time the stations were off the air.
A year ago OSCE questioned the media regulators’ political independence since Azeri President Ilham Aliyev appoints all nine members. Established in 2003, the NTRC seems, according to local observers, to have only started work in the last year.