FB Digest@VoxPOPULI

 

“The banks belong to the Aliyev family, the hospitals belong to the Aliyev family, the pharmacies belong to the Aliyev family. Does the public, journalists, bloggers not have the right to question this?”

(Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms

On Wednesday, numerous journalists were detained as the crackdown on independent media continues in Azerbaijan. The office of the independent media outlet Toplum TV has been subjected to a police raid, resulting in the forceful apprehension of journalists. This comes after months of being targeted by Azerbaijani state media. Following the police operation against Toplum TV, its YouTube channel was dismantled, with a change in the channel’s name and the deletion of all videos. Similar actions were taken against the Toplum TV Instagram account. Akif Qurbanov, Mushfig Jabbar, Farid Ismayilov, Ali Zeynal, Ramil Babayev, Elmir Abbasov, and Ilkin Ahmadov are now facing criminal charges under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling) of the Criminal Code related to their work at Toplum TV.

On March 6, the office of the Third Republic Platform underwent a search operation. Following the conclusion of the search, Akif Gurbanov, the spokesperson of the Platform, along with its members Araz Aliyev and Ruslan Izzetli, were removed from the office and taken away by law enforcement officers. A search was carried out at the residence of Akif Qurbanov, the founder of Toplum TV and a member of the Third Republic Platform. His lawyer, Shahla Humbatova, reported that the police prevented her from approaching her client and forcefully removed her from the search area.

Khadija Ismayil, the editor-in-chief of Toplum TV, discussed the situation regarding the detained colleagues of Toplum TV and those currently in the office. She noted that certain intern journalists and colleagues have been released, but there is still no information available about others.

Meanwhile, the imprisonment period for journalists Hafiz Babali and Elnara Gasimova, arrested in connection with the Abzas Media case, has been prolonged for an additional 3 months, until June 13.

Member of Parliament Zahid Oruj made a controversial statement in parliament. In his speech, the MP said that all possible means against foreign journalists and bloggers who criticize President Aliyev should be used to eliminate them. Many interpret the MP’s statement as an incitement to terror. Zahid Oruj stated, “The legislation that protects the honor and dignity of the head of state does not work, and every day we witness systematic attacks against the president and his family on various information networks… Trying to tarnish the unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the nation, which are symbols of our victory, means insulting the trust and ideals of millions of people who vote for the President.” According to Zahid Oruj, “the main geography of those who always target the country’s leader is Europe, and they are divided into various groups. Those loyal to American intelligence, such as OCCRP and other pseudo media-secret service networks, lead the process. Finally, another group throwing stones at the shadow of the country’s leader consists of low-skilled household mercenaries, migrants controlled by chips in their feet and brains, trained with weak theses every day from morning to evening, and one-sided propaganda channels. They go beyond hiding the rewards for betrayal they receive under the guise of increasing views on YouTube and other networks. We need to strengthen mechanisms for holding representatives of at least the last group accountable within the framework of international legislation. The 1951 Refugee Convention, adopted in the last century, cannot grant immunity to those people. If the mechanisms of the judiciary and legal authorities fail to protect the honor and dignity of the president, then laboratories of defamation should be openly declared as legitimate targets for all kinds of neutralization.”

Exiled journalist Afgan Mukhtarli said that the MP’s words are an open call for terror and assassinations and were ordered by president himself. Mukhtarli: The statement by Zahid Oruc, who conducts approval polls for Ilham Aliyev, is undoubtedly made under the order received from Ilham Aliyev. This is a terroristic call, and the legal oversight bodies, heads of state, and parliaments of European countries should be informed about it.”

Chairperson of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) Ali Karimli reacted to MP’s statement by saying that the Azerbaijani public and international community should take it seriously. “This call should be taken seriously. Because I have no doubt that this call is sanctioned personally by Ilham Aliyev. Although the regime can forcibly silence the people, it cannot force-feed them its own lies. Public opinion rejects the regime’s false propaganda and repeatedly refutes its circulated lies. Competing to win public opinion contests undermines the regime, taking its sanity away. From those who live with rational thought rather than with claims, tales, and anger, one can expect everything. The international community and the Azerbaijani people should take note of the regime openly declaring its “legitimate targets” for “any kind of neutralization.”

Chairperson of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) Jamil Hasanli objected MP warning that such statements would lead to tragic results.  Hasanli: “In the 21st century, children in this country are losing their lives due to measles. In a heartbreaking article written about a grieving lady yesterday, there was a poignant point: “Bank loans taken for illness and treatment have exhausted her.” She doesn’t know how she has lived in the last 5-6 years, as her illness worsened. She doesn’t know whether to focus on the bank loan she took for treatment or her illness. Why has the country reached this point today? Because the banks belong to the Aliyev family, the hospitals belong to the Aliyev family, the pharmacies belong to the Aliyev family. Does the public, journalists, bloggers not have the right to question this?”

Blogger Mehman Huseynov commented on the arrest of journalists  saying that Azerbaijan is now a real dictatorship. Huseynov: “Azerbaijan has truly turned into a massive prison. It’s safe to say you’ve arrived in North Korea! Freedom of the press has completely disappeared. Journalists, politicians, and whistle-blowers are being imprisoned. Even the land borders are closed. No one is smiling on the streets, in the metro, or on the bus. If you turn on AzTv, everyone is applauding.”

Political commentator Arastun Orujlu argued that the arrests of journalists is linked to the regimes close connection with Russian government. Orujlu: “Yesterday, following the visit of the Russian Prime Minister Mishustin to Baku, arrests of media representatives began in Azerbaijan. Yes, it has just begun, and it will continue. It seems that Russia not only gives specific instructions to its vassals in the so-called “post-Soviet countries” but also provides specific lists of people who should be arrested. This means that over time, those who conduct “anti-Russian propaganda” in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and several other states will be punished, just as it is done in Russia itself.”

Share This

---

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•