Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 27 / Trend T.Hajiyev /
The law on defamation may be included in the agenda of the spring session of the Azerbaijani parliament, Press Council Chairman Aflatun Amashov said on Wednesday.
"The work on the law maybe completed before spring and presented to the parliament," Amashov said.
A draft law on defamation was prepared in 2005 with the support of the OSCE Baku Office. The working group that prepared the draft included MPs Ganira Pashayeva and Azay Guliyev, media representatives and lawyers.
According to international organizations, articles in the Azerbaijani Criminal Code that envisage criminal responsibility for libel and insult should be excluded from the legislation.
Six media organizations asked parliament to adopt a law on defamation in May 2009 - the Association of Azerbaijani Journalists, the Najaf Najafov Foundation, the Center for Journalism and Development, the Yeni Nesil Association of Journalists, and the Azerbaijani Media Center and Democratic Journalists League. Later about 400 media representatives joined the appeal. The draft law has been studied by the OSCE.
Amashov said the public discussion over the law continues.
"At the moment all attention is focused on the upcoming parliamentary elections. We will continue the public discussion after the elections, in late 2010. I wish that the law passed as soon as possible. However, the redevelopment of the law, its discussion in the parliament, organization of discussions and consideration may take time," he said.
To date, the Council held meetings with the public and journalists on the adoption of the law, Amashov said.
"We have worked on this issue in two ways. First was the improvement of the rules of professional conduct for journalists. We have already carried out this. Second direction was associated with the discussion, adoption and application of the law on defamation." Over time, the society gets more and more informed about the law on defamation," Amashov said.
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