Azerbaijani President approves amendments to the Law "On Receipt of Information"

On July 6, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev signed a law on amending the Law "On Receipt of Information". Public activists were against the amendments, as they saw a restriction on the freedom of information and press in these innovations.

The Law "On Receipt of Information" is added by the point 2.4-1, under which the receipt of information is allowed only provided this information causes no damage to the national interests of Azerbaijani Republic in the political, economic, monetary-financial, crediting and military spheres, is not contrary to public health and morality, does not violate the rights and freedoms of other persons, their commercial and other economic interests, and causes no damage to the reputation and impartiality of courts, the "Trend" reports.

For the first time, the proposal to amend the Law "On Receipt of Information" was reviewed on June 1 at the joint sitting of the Committee on Legal Policy and State Building and on Human Rights of the Milli Mejlis. The proposal was put to a vote and recommend to the Plenary Session of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, the APA reports.

A number of NGOs and oppositional parties in Azerbaijan voiced against the amendments, saying that innovations would complicate the work of journalists and will be a blow on the entrepreneurship and the whole economy of the country.