A group of Azeri journalists and human rights activities has called on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to withdraw draft amendments to the laws “On Mass Media”, On Freedom of Information", “On investigation and search operations”, “On intelligence and Counterintelligence” and “Information Access.”

Turan News Agency reports that, according to the draft amendment to Article 60 of the Law “On mass media”, “media representatives cannot take pictures, shoot and record audio of people without their permission and against their will, except for retrieval operations.”

The group calls on the Azeri President to submit the draft amendments to expert and public discussions. “It will allow new statutory acts to be adopted to balance the privacy right and right to information on public processes,” the group’s statement says.

Three Azeri MPs refuted the information that three parliamentary commissions unanimously voted for the amendments on December 30.

Arzu Samedbeili of the Musavat Party, who is a member of the Human rights Committee, stated that neither he nor the Committee member iltizam Akberli took part in the sitting.

Chairman of the Umid Party Igbal Aghazade refuted the information as well.

The MP Fazil Mustafayev confirmed his participation in the Committee’s sitting, but pronounced against the amendments.

T.P.