Without press freedom, all freedoms are compromised. The Commission, of course, is aware of these truths and knows that all is not well in too many parts of the region. You would not have convened this hearing otherwise. My colleagues on this panel will have described many of the problems facing independent media. I will also offer a brief commentary on some of the most egregious situations of repression by governments.
Journalists endure harassment, beatings and closures of their news media outlets.
According to representatives of the station, the confiscation was ordered by Husein Huseynov, head of Azerbaijan's Motor Transport Agency and director of the state-supported LTV station. The officials, of course, would be the ones to say what material is deemed injurious to the state or pornographic. This sweeping provision means that the government will decide who may work as a journalist, and stands ready to revoke accreditation if it dislikes what that journalist writes or broadcasts. These charges appear to represent efforts to prevent legitimate journalistic questions and comment on the work of government authorities. Turkey is the country with the second most journalists in jail, after China.