Baku: Print media entities operating without being registered in the Media Registry in Azerbaijan will face fines of up to AZN 5,000. This was reported by APA.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the fines are part of a new proposed Article 381.15 of the Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan on administrative offenses. This proposal was discussed during a meeting of the Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis, the Azerbaijani Parliament, held yesterday.

The draft stipulates that physical persons will incur fines ranging from 500 to 1,000 manat. Officials will face penalties between 1,500 to 2,500 manat, while legal entities may be fined between 3,000 to 5,000 manat for publishing or disseminating printed media products without registration in the Media Registry. This applies to the print media entity, publisher, or distributor involved.

In the proposed Article of the Code, a distributor is defined as a physical or legal person who, through a contract with a publishing house or publisher or on other legal grounds, carries out the distribution and sale of publishing products.