FB Digest@VoxPOPULI

 

“The Heydar Aliyev dynasty is a curse upon Azerbaijan. It has deprived the country of all the normal foundations necessary for its development…”

(Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms

‘If only the system he [Heydar Aliyev] created had disappeared once he was gone. The Heydar Aliyev dynasty is a curse upon Azerbaijan. It has deprived the country of all the normal foundations necessary for its development.” These words were said in an article by the late journalist Elmar Huseynov. Huseynov, a brave critic of the ruling Aliyevs family, was assassinated 19 years ago on March 2^nd. The editor-in-chief of the Monitor magazine was shot dead with a firearm at the entrance of his residence. The instigators and perpetrators of the murder have not yet been held accountable. Similar to other cases involving the murders of journalists and activists like Rasim Aliyev and Bayram Mammadov, Huseynov’s assassination remains unsolved, fueling suspicions that the current regime, particularly the ruling Aliyev family, may be implicated in these assassinations.

Nigar Hezi, daughter of jailed opposition figure Tofig Yagublu said that her family is increasingly concerned about the wellbeing of Yagublu giving the circumstances in prison. Hezi: “Today I had another scheduled visit with my father at the detention center. In this country, prison has become the final destination for expressing dissenting opinions, and for years, our lives have been intricately linked to the prison system. It has reached a stage where the first concern that comes to mind when contemplating any potential danger to my family is the looming threat of imprisonment Unfortunately, the risk of imprisonment has transformed into a harsh reality for over a decade now. This time, however, I am more worried than ever. The prison is not a safe place for my father anymore. Previously, we could say that the Azerbaijani government bears all responsibility for political prisoners in prison. But now we cannot say that. Our concern has increased, especially after the imprisonment and subsequent death of Navalny in prison. Particularly, the threat to my father’s life is more real. Ilham Aliyev imprisoned Tofig Yagublu to silence him. To get rid of him, they can easily kill him. Then they would come out and say that his health deteriorated unexpectedly, and despite medical intervention, they couldn’t save him.”  Hezi also said that the telephones in the prison don’t function properly, causing challenges during phone conversations with her father, as they often struggle to hear each other. Hezi: “In that prison, there is not a single functional telephone device. More than half of our 15-minute call is spent not hearing each other. My father on the other end says he can’t hear, and I say I can’t hear either. I believe it shouldn’t be difficult for the prison administration to update the telephone devices.”

Sefer Salmanov, an entrepreneur born in Khankendi but residing as an IDP in the dormitory of the Ganja Teachers Institute for many years, said that he wants to invest in the liberated territories but faces challenges. Salmanov states that he is currently registered in Khankendi and wishes to engage in entrepreneurship in his hometown as a local investor, responding to the President’s call. However, he claims that he is being informed that all investment projects in Khankendi have already been allocated. Salmanov’s interview with Meydan TV: “I want to be a local investor and operate in our liberated territories in response to the President’s call. I want to engage in entrepreneurship in my native city, Khankendi. But I’m told that all investment projects in Khankendi have been taken.” According to the 41-year-old entrepreneur, he was in Khankendi after its liberation. He mentions that he attended the initial reception of the State Property Committee in his native city: “I attended the initial reception at the State Property Committee in Khankendi. In addition, I talked to the officials over the phone. They told me that there is nothing vacant in Khankendi, meaning that investment project properties have already been sold.”

In the annual report “Implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy,” released by the European Parliament on February 28, a call is made to support Armenia through the European Peace Fund. The report states that the European Parliament condemns Azerbaijan’s “unjustified and pre-planned attack” on the Armenian population of Karabakh. Azerbaijan is accused in this report of harshly violating international law and human rights. Moreover, the military operation by the Azerbaijani army in Stepanekert (Khankendi) in Karabakh is referred to as an incident that could be considered as “effectively ethnic cleansing.” The document “condemns the policies of aggression, including the pre-planned military attack of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh; recalls that this attack follows months of organised starvation and isolation of the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh through the blockade of the Lachin corridor; underlines that the so-called Russian peacekeepers on site did not take any action to prevent or end the blockade or to stop the Azeri military assault against Nagorno-Karabakh; condemns the military support provided by non-EU countries to Azerbaijan. It also states that  EP is seriously concerned about the consequences on the civilian population, which amount to de-facto ethnic cleansing; reiterates its view that the attack carried out by Azerbaijan cannot remain without consequences, and calls for the EU to take sanctions against the Azerbaijani authorities responsible for multiple ceasefire violations and to suspend the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy; calls for the EU to suspend negotiations over a new partnership agreement with Azerbaijan in the light of recent events and the country’s dramatic human rights situation. The document states that Azerbaijan’s actions cannot go unanswered, and, therefore, sanctions should be imposed on Azerbaijani officials responsible for numerous ceasefire violations. Additionally, the Energy Charter Memorandum with Azerbaijan should be terminated, and negotiations for a new partnership agreement with Azerbaijan should be suspended. The report suggests that in the event of any military aggression against the territorial integrity of Armenia, individual sanctions targeting President Aliyev‘s “military and political” entourage should be declared, and Azerbaijan’s import of oil and gas should be halted.

Altay Goyushov, the Director of the Baku Research Institute, provided insights into the ongoing repressions, asserting that they are a deliberate strategy by the current regime aimed at societal degeneration and the paralysis of all democratic institutions. Goyushov: “We have a low-quality government. We all know that it is a corrupt, deceitful, and incompetent government. It is also evident that such a government, to sustain itself, should degrade society to the same level of low quality. Look at how much money this government spends on broadcasting mediocrity, negligence, lack of standards, vulgarity, lies, deceit, and the like on television and social networks. It selects the most indecent individuals from within society and appoints them as MPs and the like. Even if, by chance, a decent person ends up there, the government sets the goal of degrading them. It says, ‘Choose either quality or deceit. Choose one; the two cannot coexist. The more you degrade, the more opportunities I will provide for earning, deceiving, I will make you famous, award you with honors, give you a house, a title, a grant. If you choose quality, I will eliminate you.’ Every day, the number of those spouting such low-quality behavior increases. We do not feel the dramatic impact of how this has changed our society because the change is gradual. However, these acts of low quality collectively accumulate to the extent that, in the end, it transforms and degrades the entire quality of society into a dumpster.”

“In Azerbaijan, the source of Islamophobia is the Aliyev regime itself,” stated Haji Tale Baghirzade, the leader of the Movement for Muslim Unity, in a statement from prison. The theologian noted that the regime’s false accusations against the country’s citizens, especially believers, leading to arbitrary arrests, confessions under torture, the absurdity of false witnesses in court, the duration of imprisonment, and subsequent displays of physical force, are all indicative of the Aliyev regime’s ruthless political agenda. “The government’s behavior towards believers is guided by one idea: the restriction of true Islam in the country and the alteration of fundamental Islamic values. The imprisonments are precisely calculated for this purpose. The current policy of the Aliyev regime prioritizes limiting genuine Islamic practices and values, which is the underlying theme,” emphasized the theologian. He characterized the regime’s alleged respect for Islam as a veiled policy and another adventurous step: “By hiding behind genuine Islam in order to preserve its corrupt nature, the regime, with such actions, further degrades itself with each passing day.”

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