Don’t speak, don’t click: Azerbaijan’s growing online restrictions
In Azerbaijan, Internet penetration is increasing. And so are the government’s attempts to control its citizens’ online use
We are in the provincial town of Ujar, a hotspot on the Azerbaijani Internet freedom map. When human rights activist and blogger Taleh Khasmammadov uploaded 20 videos on Youtube exposing illegal acts in Ujar he was arrested and now faces a possible 15-year sentence.
The increased importance of the Internet in Azerbaijan has led to increased government attempts to control citizens’ access to the Internet without due regard to the impact it has on their fundamental human rights.
“The government has been trying to find ways to put the genie back in the bottle”, says Emin Huseynov, Expression Online member and Chairman for Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS).
Repeated website blocks
According to Emin Huseynov, a recent spike in state officials’ statements on the licensing of Internet TV and radio channels is part of a sophisticated effort to shape online opinion.
“With government regulation who knows whether YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or Azerbaijan’s last frontier for alternative voices, the human rights TV channel Objective TV, would have been around today. Whatever it takes we need to stop the government from regulating the Internet”, says Huseynov.
The Azerbaijani government does not usually restrict Internet access, but it has repeatedly blocked websites featuring opposition views and intimidated the online community through harsh treatment of so-called cyber dissidents who disseminate pro-democracy views online. These people have been punished, receiving jail sentences and heavy fines.
On 1 March 2012, residents of the northern Azerbaijani town of Guba gathered to protest against a local official after they say he insulted the local community. News of the alleged insult spread after a video was posted online. Following the protests, Internet cafes were searched in an attempt to discover who posted the video, and Vugar Gonagov, the executive director of Khayal TV, its editor-in-chief Zaur Guliyev, and the owner of the Internet café are now behind bars.
New initiative promotes Internet freedom
Since its launch in June 2012, Expression Online, a new Internet freedom initiative established by two Azerbaijani NGOs has been trying to address the emerging Internet problems in the country. Through advanced research on internet accessibility, access to information and implementation of eGovernance and freedom of expression online, the coalition works to prevent the government’s restrictions.
“We will continue our efforts until every user in Azerbaijan enjoys Internet access and freedom, and we have zero tolerance for violations of free expression – both online and offline. By pooling our resources and areas of expertise, the members of Expression Online strive to support Internet freedom in all of Azerbaijan”, says Emin Huseynov from the Expression Online initiative and the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety.
Expression Online recently teamed up with a coalition of international freedom of expression NGOs forming the International Partnership Group on Azerbaijan (IPGA), to produce first full scale Azerbaijan Internet Freedom report ahead of the Internet Governance Forum, which will take place on November 6-8 in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. Together with the Deutsche Welle Academie and Association for Progressive Communications, the Expression Online initiative will also will be organising a series of events including media workshops and international conferences on net neutrality and freedom, as well as a dozen thematic roundtables leading up to the governance forum.
Expression Online was established by the Azerbaijan-based NGOs, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety and Human Rights Club with support from National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and International Media Support.
