OSCE member states embassies representatives in Baku visited journalists on hunger strike

The diplomats first held a close meeting with the hunger strikers and the members of the Editors Union. The Political Chief of the US embassy in Azerbaijan Joan Polaschik, Officer of the British Embassy in Azerbaijan Kdin Welt and OSCE representative Andreas Bush participated at the meeting.

After the meeting Joan Polaschik told the journalists that the meeting was held to collect more information about their problems. The diplomat thinks the latest events show that the conditions concerning free media in Azerbaijan deteriorated. Mr. Polaschik called upon the officials to punish those who exercise force on journalists, as well as the murderers of Elmar Huseynov, and to consider the slander through Civil Code, not through Criminal Code.

"We call upon to consider slander issues through the Press Council. Azerbaijani journalists should assume professionalism, ethics and objective principles as a basis. We call upon the NTRC to give license to ANS and Lider channels and to supply the broadcasting of VoA, Radio Liberty and BBC radios to the large audience in Azerbaijan," he said.

Touching upon the problem of expelling the Azadliq and other newspapers from their editorial office Mr.Polaschik said that the problem should be solved according to the existing legislation and without harming the freedom of media.

The editor-in-chief of the Azadliq newspaper Ganimat Zahid also told the journalists that he is satisfied with the position of the international organizations and embassies and called upon the government to retract its claim, APA informs.