On November 30, the statement of the European Union regarding Azerbaijan was announced, Trend reports. The statement says that the EU fully shares the serious concern, expressed by Mr Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media at the recent shutdown, last Friday, of ANS TV, the most-watched Azerbaijani independent broadcasting channel, and at the eviction of the opposition newspaper Azadliq, the Newspaper Bizim Yol, Turan News Agency and Yeni Nesil Publishing House, as well as the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety, a civil body, from a state-owned building. More generally, the EU is concerned by the further deterioration of the freedom of the media since the murder of Editor Elmar Huseynov and is looking forward to the results of the inquiry. It also recalls its concern at the use of criminal libel suits against journalists and media outlets. The EU encourages Mr. Haraszti to continue monitoring the development and the overall situation of media freedom in Azerbaijan and to pay
a new visit to Azerbaijan in the near future. We hope that he will be granted the possibility to express his concerns directly at the highest level in Baku, mentioned in the document.
