“The 2025 annual report on the state of press freedom in Europe published by the Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists of the Council of Europe contains one-sided and biased assessments regarding the media environment in Azerbaijan. In particular, the approaches reflected in the report concerning the amendments made in 2025 to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Media” are speculative in nature,” Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency said in a statement.

“The amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Media” were proposed on the basis of recommendations, wishes, and suggestions from society and the media community. The main objective is to protect and improve the country’s information environment, strengthen the media brand, enhance the reputation of professional journalists, and, taking into account public demands, increase the sensitivity and ensure flexibility of state regulation in combating various negative phenomena in the information space.

One such speculative approach is reflected in the views expressed regarding print media entities. Contrary to what is stated in the report, the relevant amendments include the provision regarding the inadmissibility of using expressions in the names of media entities that contradict public order, morality, and ethics or that may mislead users. This provision is widely applied in foreign and international practice and serves to protect users’ rights regarding their expectations from a media entity, as well as the brand value of media entities.

It should be noted that there are no restrictions on journalists in Azerbaijan due to their professional activities, and freedom of expression in the country is fully ensured both legally and in practice.

At the same time, we emphasize that in the Republic of Azerbaijan, all citizens bear equal responsibility before the law regardless of race, religion, origin, gender, ethnicity, or professional affiliation. Regarding the specific individuals mentioned in the report, we note that the details of case materials available to the public clearly show that there is no connection between their professional activities and the criminal or administrative charges brought against them. The relevant claims merely represent unsuccessful attempts at manipulation.

In addition, we note that the requirement for media entities to be duly registered and included in the Media Register applies to all media entities operating in the Republic of Azerbaijan, including branches and representative offices of foreign media entities. The new approaches in this direction are essentially intended only to improve efficiency from a technical and organizational perspective.

When formulating the requirements for media entities to be included in the Register as information agencies, the results of an analysis of existing practice were taken into account. At the same time, consideration was given to the fact that information agencies, by their nature, play a unique role not only in providing content to consumers but also to other professional media entities.

With regard to the material published on the Platform in 2024 concerning the current state of legislation on defamation in our country, which is referenced in the report, we would like to recall that our position regarding the claims reflected in that material was officially communicated to the relevant side in the same year.

It is regrettable that when such reports about Azerbaijan are prepared, the official position is not taken into account and that assumptions, subjective opinions, and views are relied upon rather than facts,” the Agency added.