Statement of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan

In recent days, complaints and inquiries have been received by the official website, email address, and other communication channels of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan from citizens, as well as from media representatives. The subject of these complaints concerns criticism of several television programs, their hosts, and the guests invited to those programs. Some of the complainants demand the closure of these television programs or television channels in general.

As is known, the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the state authority that carries out regulation in the field of audiovisual media. The activities of the Audiovisual Council and, in general, the regulation of the audiovisual media sector is carried out on the basis of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Media" and other relevant laws. According to Article 5 of the Law "On Media", activities in the field of media are conducted on the basis of creative and editorial independence.

Based on the above, we would like to state that the launch or closure of any program, as well as the hiring or dismissal of any host or staff member of the editorial office, and the determination of invited guests and discussion topics fall exclusively within the scope of editorial policy and do not fall under the authority of the Audiovisual Council. When applying sanctions or administrative penalties against any channel, the Audiovisual Council adopts decisions solely on the basis of the Law "On Media" and other laws regulating this field. Therefore, the Audiovisual Council cannot fulfill requests made by certain complainants regarding the closure of any program or the removal of a host from the air.

At the same time, it should be noted that the Audiovisual Council regularly holds meetings in various formats with the heads of broadcasters and responsible representatives of their editorial offices. During these meetings, the necessary recommendations are provided within the scope of the Audiovisual Council’s authority regarding issues that cause justified public dissatisfaction with television channels.

Once again, audiovisual broadcasters are required to strictly comply with the requirements of the legislation and to ensure that their activities are carried out within the framework of professional ethics.