Azerbaijan cuts ties with Paris-based media watchdog

"The authorities of Azerbaijan will no longer cooperate with the organization Reporters Without Borders," Ali Hasanov, head of the political section in President Ilham Aliyev's administration, said.

"This organization is coming up with reports based on subjective opinion ... The situation with freedom of speech in Azerbaijan is not the way it is presented by Reporters Without Borders," Hasanov said.

The organization has included Aliyev as one of its Press Freedom Predators and has repeatedly said that freedom of speech is under threat in Azerbaijan, where reporters are regularly jailed and beaten.

Representatives of Reporters Without Borders often visit Azerbaijan and speak to officials, journalists, and members of non-governmental organizations in order to compile their reports.

The group listed Azerbaijan 135th in its 2006 Press Freedom Index. AFP

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