Azerbaijan's Advertising Agency Enforces Language Law on Russian House
On February 4, the State Advertising Agency of Azerbaijan (ADRA) announced that it would take measures regarding the violation of legal requirements on the signboard of the Russian House in Baku.
According to the Azerbaijani laws "On Advertising" and "On the State Language of the Republic of Azerbaijan," advertisements may include foreign-language inscriptions alongside Azerbaijani at the advertiser’s request. However, the foreign text must appear after the state language and must not exceed its size. The Azerbaijani publication Report noted that the signboard above the entrance to the Russian House placed Azerbaijani text after the Russian-language text, violating the law.
ADRA stated that "within the framework of the powers granted to the Agency by the relevant legislative acts, all appropriate measures will be taken in connection with the specified fact of violation of legal requirements." When violations are identified, the agency drafts an act and issues a binding order requiring the advertising distributor to rectify the issue within five days. If the order is not fulfilled, measures are taken to halt the advertisement’s distribution.