BAKU, August 1, 2025 — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed into law amendments to the country’s Media Act, introducing stricter regulations and expanding the list of violations that can result in a media outlet’s removal from the official Media Registry.
Under the new rules, media entities — excluding audiovisual outlets — can be removed from the registry in the following cases:
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Plagiarism and Source Misuse: Republishing material from other media without proper attribution, or exceeding the permitted one-third usage limit without a subscription or agreement, may lead to removal if the violation occurs after two formal warnings within a year.
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Foreign Funding Restrictions: Non-audiovisual media found to receive funding from foreign individuals, entities, or organizations not listed among their founders may be removed. This includes foreign embassies, branches, and companies. Foreign sponsorship of print and online media is capped at 25% per product.
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Failure to Disclose Required Information: Online media that do not publish legally mandated details (e.g., company data, editorial contacts) or print media omitting crucial publication information (such as editor name, print date, and print run) in each issue risk deregistration.
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Criminal Records of Founders: If a founder or director of a media outlet — excluding audiovisual media — is convicted of serious or especially grave crimes, their outlet may be removed from the registry.
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Protection of Minors: Repeated publication of personal details about minors involved in criminal or victim proceedings, without consent, will result in expulsion after three prior warnings.
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Agency Operational Thresholds: News agencies that fail to maintain agreements with at least 20 media partners or lack accredited journalists in five foreign countries can be expelled. Additionally, 80% of their monthly output must meet legal content criteria — failure to do so more than twice a year can trigger removal.
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Foreign Media Compliance: Foreign media operating in Azerbaijan through branches or representative offices must fully comply with content requirements. Breaches can result in their removal from the registry.
The amendments mark a significant tightening of the regulatory environment for media in Azerbaijan and are widely seen as part of the government’s broader efforts to centralize control over information flows.
