As the use of new and social media starts to surface in the run-up to the 7 November parliamentary election in Azerbaijan [1], In Mutatione Fortitudo reports that there are now calls for bloggers to be considered similar to journalists. While on the surface such a suggestion sounds positive, the accompanying quote implies that those bloggers not registered with the Ministry of Justice could therefore be considered as engaging in illegal activities [2]. Azerbaijan already has two video blogging youth activists serving sentences in prison despite significant international outcry [3].
Azerbaijan: Bloggers to require registration?
· Written by Onnik Krikorian
Categories: Central Asia & Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Digital Activism, Elections, Freedom of Speech, Media & Journalism