Statement by National Television and Radio Council.

The practice of suspension of broadcasting of the television channels by National Television and Radio Council raised certain questions among citizens and representatives of the media. In this regard, National Television and Radio Council considers it important to inform the public about the following:

1. The practice of suspension of broadcasting of the television channels is widely used in the world. This restrictive measure set out in the Legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Article 23.1 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On TV and radio Broadcasting") and gives National Television and Radio Council basis to restrict (suspend) the activity of TV channels for up to 1 month in case of violation of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Television and radio Broadcasting”.
2. National Television and Radio Council has prepared a list of cases of violations of the law by broadcasters. For each violation of the law, certain sanctions, such as suspension of broadcasting for 1, 3, 6 hours or penalties in accordance with the law exist.
3. Numerous recent violations committed by broadcasters are mainly technical in nature and are related to the unpreparedness of broadcasters for these events. National Television and Radio Council hopes that by the end of May the number of such violations will decrease, and this will serve to improve the television and radio sphere of Azerbaijan in general.
4. This position of the Council meets the interests of both broadcasters and millions of viewers. The National Television and Radio Council states that compliance with the requirements of existing legislation should be ensured with the equal and impartial attitude of the regulatory body to all broadcasting organizations.