Azerbaijan
The Internet in Azerbaijan remains
largely free from direct censorship despite the government’s heavy-handed
approach to political opposition
and evidence of second- and thirdgeneration controls. Azerbaijan has
a growing Internet population, supported by a national strategy to
develop the country into an information and communication technology
(ICT) hub for the Caucasus region. The Azerbaijani government actively seeks to
attract foreign aid to help boost the telecommunications and ICT sectors. 1
Investment in the ICT sector has been prioritized, with ICT seen as an essential pillar for diversifying the country’s oil-dependent economy—an important policy
given that Azerbaijan’s rich oil and gas reserves are expected to run out in the
next 20 to 40 years. Azerbaijan’s transition from war and instability in the 1990s
under the charismatic former president, Heidar Aliev, has left the political opposition weak and fragmented and has led to certain authoritarian tendencies in the
government. The Internet is also beginning to surface as an important medium
and space for political communication, and there are some indications that
restrictions on content may emerge in the future.
Background
After a decade of civil unrest and a disastrous war over the territory of NagornoKarabakh, Azerbaijan recovered and stabilized under the strong hand of former President Heidar Aliev (elected in 1993). Since then, the country’s political life has remained
dominated by the presidential apparatus. In 2003, Heidar Aliev was succeeded by his
son Ilham Aliev in an election whose fairness is questioned by international observers. 2
In October 2008, President Ilham Aliev was re-elected. Transparency International has
ranked Azerbaijan as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. 3
The high economic growth in the country over the last several years is largely due
to revenues coming in from oil and gas sales. Seeking to advance other sectors, the
first President Aliev strongly promoted ICT as a pillar for national development, enacting a national ICT strategy in 2003 that set ambitious targets for the development
of Internet in government, education, and the industrial sector. 4 However, the poor
The Internet in Azerbaijan remains
largely free from direct censorship despite the government’s heavy-handed
approach to political opposition
and evidence of second- and thirdgeneration controls. Azerbaijan has
a growing Internet population, supported by a national strategy to
develop the country into an information and communication technology
(ICT) hub for the Caucasus region. The Azerbaijani government actively seeks to
attract foreign aid to help boost the telecommunications and ICT sectors. 1
Investment in the ICT sector has been prioritized, with ICT seen as an essential pillar for diversifying the country’s oil-dependent economy—an important policy
given that Azerbaijan’s rich oil and gas reserves are expected to run out in the
next 20 to 40 years. Azerbaijan’s transition from war and instability in the 1990s
under the charismatic former president, Heidar Aliev, has left the political opposition weak and fragmented and has led to certain authoritarian tendencies in the
government. The Internet is also beginning to surface as an important medium
and space for political communication, and there are some indications that
restrictions on content may emerge in the future.
Background
After a decade of civil unrest and a disastrous war over the territory of NagornoKarabakh, Azerbaijan recovered and stabilized under the strong hand of former President Heidar Aliev (elected in 1993). Since then, the country’s political life has remained
dominated by the presidential apparatus. In 2003, Heidar Aliev was succeeded by his
son Ilham Aliev in an election whose fairness is questioned by international observers. 2
In October 2008, President Ilham Aliev was re-elected. Transparency International has
ranked Azerbaijan as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. 3
The high economic growth in the country over the last several years is largely due
to revenues coming in from oil and gas sales. Seeking to advance other sectors, the
first President Aliev strongly promoted ICT as a pillar for national development, enacting a national ICT strategy in 2003 that set ambitious targets for the development
of Internet in government, education, and the industrial sector. 4 However, the poor