The right to information in the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic

Abstract

The notions of “transparency” and “democracy” of the governmental policies are considered a necessity in the fight against irregularities (corruption, fraud, etc.). The question of Right to Information is especially acute for Central Asian countries. This article presents a detailed analysis of the domestic acts providing the right to information, as well as relevant international instruments in this field, to which the Azerbaijan Republic joined after gaining its independence. The Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic contains such norms as “freedom of information”, “freedom of thought and speech,” “personal privacy”, etc. The right of citizens to information is one of the most important political and personal rights of man and citizen. The Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic in the Article 50 states that everyone has the right to seek, receive, transmit, produce and disseminate information by any legal means. The comparison of the content of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms adopted in 1950, and the provisions of the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic give reason to note that these acts have no fundamental differences. The results of the analysis identify the drawbacks in legislation that are similar for the countries of the region.