Azerbaijani media to be provided with opportunity to obtain information on courts' activities

The meeting of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on legislative and legal policy held on Oct. 5 recommended the bill "On acquisition of information regarding the courts" for discussions in the parliament.

The bill, consisting of five chapters and 25 articles, identifies principles of obtaining information about courts' activities.

The document also reflects restrictions on providing information considered a state secret.

Information relating to courts' activities can be obtained in a written form, orally, by telephone, and may also be available on the internet.

Some judges refrain from providing information to media, committee chairman Ali Huseynov said.

"They consider requests of information to be interference with the work of courts."

There is different approach to solving this problem in the civilized countries, Huseynov added.

"There are projects on the TV channels abroad to view the court's activities. One of the Azerbaijani TV channels also has such project. However, a person acting in this project as a judge at the time was discharged for violating ethics rules and judicial morality. I am very sorry that this man promotes public rules of judicial ethics and morality," Huseynov said.

"The adoption of this bill will not address the problem," committee member Gudrat Hasanguliyev, added.

Hasanguliyev said, contrary to the Constitution, the Chairman of the Judicial Legal Council is the head of the executive agency - Justice Minister.

 "Under the principle of distribution of powers, the judiciary is an independent wing of power," the MP said.

The judicial system should be reformed and procedures for appointing members of the Judicial-Legal Council must be revised , Hasanguliyev said.

Hasanguliyev said that his party has prepared and submitted to the parliament a new bill on amendments and additions to the Constitution which covers all these issues.

/Trend News/