Parliamentarian Guler Ahmedova has addressed an appeal about “Azadlig” Newspaper to the Press Council.
Stating that her opinions were distorted in the article entitled “Flower holiday should be abolished” (“Azadlig” Newspaper, 29 April 2009), she demands that the newspaper’s leadership apologize. The Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety was told this by “Azadlig” newspaper editor Sujaddin Sharifov.
Sharifov said that he considered G. Ahmadova’s claim to be unfounded. “Opinions regarding flower holiday was shown in the footage prepared at the parliament. In this footage, Ahmadova said that she was against allocating resources to this holiday in big amounts. In the article, the journalist noted that the national deputy is against this unimportant holiday,” said S. Sharifov, adding that the newspaper does not intend to apologize to G. Ahmadova.
In connection with this issue, Press Council Secretary Rahim Huseynov stated that an appeal about “Azadlig” Newspaper has been received by the council from parliamentarian Guler Ahmedova and both sides will be heard during the next meeting of the council.
Parliamentarian Guler Ahmedova told IRFS that her opinion has been distorted in the “Azadlig” Newspaper. “After President Ilham Aliyev made his last speech about planting trees, I spoke in Milli Mejlis and said that for the money spent on the flower holiday on Heydar Aliyev’s birthday spent every year on 10 May, it is possible to lay a big garden,” said Ahmadova. “Although I stated that we could name this garden ’10 May’ or ‘Heydar Aliyev’ and offered to celebrate 10 May in a bigger scale, ‘Azadlig’ correspondent wrote that I am against this day.”
Ahmadova said that the newspaper’s leadership told her that a technical error occurred in the newspaer. In conclusion the national deputy said that she will appeal to court if a refutation is not published.