Following the Constitutional Referendum on November 12, 1995, the new Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan came into force on November 27, 1995. Besides general guarantees, fundamental rights, freedoms, and responsibilities, the Constitution includes provisions related to culture, cultural rights, freedom of expression and creativity, copyright protection, heritage protection, and other relevant areas.
Article 40 of the Constitution, “Right to Culture,” provides that everyone has the right to participate in cultural life and to utilise cultural institutions and values. It also stipulates that everyone must respect and care for historical, cultural, and spiritual heritage and protect historical and cultural monuments.
Article 51 of the Constitution, “Freedom of Creative Activity,” secures everyone’s right to engage in creative activities and guarantees freedom in literary, artistic, scientific, technical, and other forms of creative expression.
Article 30 of the Constitution, “Right to Intellectual Property,” declares that everyone has the right to intellectual property and that copyright, patent rights, and other intellectual property rights are protected by law.
The interests of artists and cultural workers are also reflected in various articles of the Constitution, including “Freedom of thought and speech” (Article 47), “Freedom of information” (Article 50), and “Protection of historical and cultural monuments” (Article 77), among others.
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