Center for National and International Studies
FB Digest@VoxPOPULI
“Azerbaijan positioning itself as peacemaker but is accused of ethnic cleansing and imprisoning opponents…”
(Lack of) Human Rights and Freedoms
Former MP and businessman Nazim Baydamirli is facing a 9-year prison sentence. On September 16, the prosecutor made this request at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, claiming that the former MP’s demand for money through blackmail had been proven in court. However, Baydamirli disagrees. Before the prosecutor’s statement—when the judge suggested concluding the investigation—he objected, stating that there were still many issues that needed to be investigated. The judges did not take his objections into account. In protest, Nazim Baydamirli refused both his lawyer and the entire defense process, emphasizing that a lawyer has no role in such predetermined trials: “I submitted numerous petitions to ensure a fair trial, but none were accepted. Therefore, I am exercising my right to remain silent.” Even though Baydamirli submitted a written statement to the court renouncing his defense, the judge did not accept it, stating that the law does not allow a defendant to waive their right to defense. Despite Baydamirli’s disagreement, the investigation has concluded. Human Rights lawyer Rufat Safarov said that the investigator who initiated the criminal case against Nazim Baydamirli, the prosecutor who issued the motion for pre-trial detention, the judge who approved that motion, the state prosecutor, and the judges presiding over the case should all be held criminally liable and imprisoned for at least the same period. “Nazim Baydamirli, however, is completely innocent. His arrest is connected to his public and political stance. Baydamirli is an environmental prisoner.”
The Georgian Migration Service has reportedly denied asylum to Afgan Sadigov, founder of the “Azel” TV website and journalist. His wife, Sevinc Sadigova, informed “Turan” on September 16. She said that her husband called from the detention center to inform her that the Migration Service had refused to grant him political asylum. “The Georgian side explained the refusal by stating that there were no political motives in his case,” Sevinc Sadigova added. No comments have been obtained from the journalist’s lawyer, Dito Nozadze. Afgan Sadigov, who has been living in Georgia since last year, was detained in Tbilisi on August 3. Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that Sadigov would be extradited to Baku, as a criminal case on blackmail charges had been opened against him in Azerbaijan. Afgan Sadigov, however, claims that he is being persecuted due to his critical statements on his YouTube channel. On July 18, Sadigov was detained at Tbilisi Airport while preparing to fly to Turkey with his family. During a passport check, he was informed that he was banned from flying to any country except Azerbaijan. In 2020, Sadigov was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of extortion but was recognized as a political prisoner by local human rights activists. After serving two years, he was released under a presidential pardon.
Afgan Mukhtarli, an Azerbaijani journalist living in Berlin, is being threatened with death. Those threatening him claim to be acting on behalf of Bidzina (Boris) Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister of Georgia, leader of the “Georgian Dream” Party, and billionaire. The journalist wrote about this on his social media account: “The Georgian Migration Service has refused to grant political asylum to Afgan Sadigov. However, they are not providing an official document regarding the refusal. They handed Afgan a paper written in Azerbaijani, without a date, signature, or stamp. It is impossible to appeal to the court with such a document. The Georgian government continues its illegal actions and is insistent on handing Afgan over to Azerbaijan. Let me also mention that I have been threatened because I defended Afgan and criticized the Georgian government. They demanded that I stop defending Afgan and cease criticizing Ivanishvili’s government in Georgian TV and other media outlets. These fools are threatening me with death.”
Court proceedings continue at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes in the case of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu. A member of both the Musavat Party and the National Council of Democratic Forces, Yagublu is accused of fraud involving significant financial damage, forgery of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, and forms, as well as illegally producing or selling them, and knowingly using forged documents. Despite expert opinions confirming that the signatures on the forged documents do not belong to the politician and data from mobile operators showing that he was at a different location at the time of the incident, the investigation has ignored these details.
During the trial presided over by Judge Azer Taghiyev, Tofig Yagublu has repeatedly denied all the charges. His family and lawyers also claim that the accusations against him are fabricated. They believe that Yagublu is being persecuted because of his harsh criticism of the government, particularly President Ilham Aliyev. If convicted, the opposition figure faces a prison sentence ranging from 5 to 10 years.
In the village of Aranlı, Imishli, an elementary school teacher, Leyla Najafguliyeva, was dismissed after protesting the decision not to open a newly constructed school for use on Knowledge Day, seven months after its completion. The teacher herself posted a video message about this on social media, and the Mil-Mugan Regional Education Department confirmed the information in an official statement. The department explained that an investigation was conducted after videos surfaced showing Leyla Najafguliyeva sitting students on the ground in front of the entrance of Yusif Sadatkhanov School No. 1 in Aranlı, distracting them from their education. Additionally, it was stated that Najafguliyeva had ignored instructions given on September 16 to organize classes at Aranlı’s No. 2 school named after Asadov. The department added that on the same day, at around 8:00 a.m., Najafguliyeva prevented some of the students from her 3rd grade class from attending lessons. In a statement to Meydan TV, Leyla Najafguliyeva said she believes her dismissal is linked to her previous public complaints at the beginning of 2023, when she raised the issue that the school had no toilets. Since then, according to her, the Mil-Mugan Regional Education Department and the school administration have viewed her as an adversary. Najafguliyeva claims that the school principal, Anar Alekberov, was behind her dismissal: “Anar Alekberov pressured the male teachers, and his wife, Aygun Habibullayeva, an elementary school teacher, pressured the female teachers, eventually isolating and firing me. They claim that I don’t adhere to ethical standards, or that I can’t behave properly as a teacher. Do you know why? Because I’m very demanding. I have high standards for teaching well. I expect other teachers to teach better, too. I demand that they improve because my three children study there.”
Azerbaijan, a hosting country this year’s UN Climate Summit, is being accused of hypocrisy for calling for a global ceasefire at the same time as the conference. This is according to an article titled “Azerbaijan Accused of Hypocrisy After Calling for Global Ceasefire at COP29” published in The Guardian. The host of the upcoming climate summit is positioning itself as a peacemaker, but it faces accusations of ethnic cleansing and imprisoning political opponents. Activists have pointed to Azerbaijan’s troubling human rights record and its recently concluded war with Armenia. Following Azerbaijan’s offensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh region last September, more than 100,000 people were displaced. While a peace agreement was reached in late December, human rights groups claim that Azerbaijan continues to hold hundreds of political prisoners. Several critics have called out Azerbaijan’s alleged hypocrisy as the COP host. Paul Polman, former Unilever CEO and now a climate and peace activist, stated, “The notion of a ‘COP truce’ is a deeply cynical PR move by Azerbaijan, aimed at diverting global attention from its ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh last year.” “If President [Ilham] Aliyev [of Azerbaijan] truly wants to lead by example, instead on calling on others to act, he should commit to decarbonising Azerbaijan’s fossil fuel economy and release the more than 300 political prisoners he is detaining before Cop29 begins.” The COP29 summit, chaired by Azerbaijan, will take place in Baku for two weeks starting on November 11, with the participation of heads of government and representatives from over 180 countries. The article mentions that throughout the conference, as well as the week before and after it, Azerbaijan is calling on all countries involved in conflicts to lay down their arms. The presidency is also hosting a special “Peace Day” on November 15 and a COP29 peace and climate initiative, alongside countries like the UK, Germany, Italy, and Uganda, to help the most vulnerable nations. The article highlights that ongoing conflicts, such as between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Gaza, both occurring near Azerbaijan’s region, are likely to overshadow the conference. It also notes that Russia is a leading producer of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, while Azerbaijan helps supply gas to Europe as an alternative to Russian gas. Given rising geopolitical tensions, reaching any diplomatic agreement on climate issues at this summit is expected to be more challenging than ever.
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September 20, 2024