Journalists voice concern

Most of Azeri newspapers circulate only in Baku and its vicinity, while on the countryside the population has to be content with state-run television and pro-governmental papers. As a result, the population receives a one-sided coverage of events, director of the Humanitarian Research Society Avaz Hasanov told a meeting of NGOs with permanent representatives of the Netherlands and Sweden in the COE Hendrich Vagenmakersom and Hakan Wilkenson Friday.

Attending the meeting on behalf of Azerbaijan were the director of the "Yeni Nasil" journalistic association Arif Aliyev, chairman of the League of Labor Rights Sahib Mammadov and chairman of the "Ruh" journalistic association Aflatun Amashov.

Mr. Hasanov said the authorities do nothing to enforce the broadcast of independent Azeri channels to provinces and to prevent that of Armenian and Iranian channels in borderline and northern provinces of Azerbaijan.*