Center for National and International Studies

 

FB Digest@VoxPOPULI                                      

                                                                                                                                                                         16.11.2019

Gubad Ibadoglu comments on the discussions of budget in the Parliament, saying that MP Vahid Ahmedov as usual is one of the few who tells the truth. He quotes him as stating, that some tenders are not conducted in transparent manner, that there should be a serious control in this area, especially control in the part of the budget spending should be strengthened. We also have adopted a law about declaration of income 10 years ago, and he suggested to make it enter in force from the 1^st January. However Ibadoglu critically assesses the statement about 3, 3 bln manats spent on industrial parks, stressing that they were not effective, or transparent and only nomenklatura and its proxies benefit from it. He also comments later on the speech of Armenia’s Premier Pashinian at the Paris Peace Forum and the question by the youth activist about the occupied territories, stating that how come that the government could leave such a big forum without any official representative who could bring counterarguments to the “ peace-making” speech of Pashinian whose country committed occupation and Hojali crimes.

The journalist Afgan Sadigov writes about critical situation in the Absheron region ( close to Baku) under the rule of the region’s head of the executive power Irada Gulmamedova. Not only the region’s all public service areas are totally destroyed by corruption, she is also the head of the big business empire. He lists the number of objects which belongs to her or her brother: the restaurant Titanic, supermarket Palma, the Winehouse near ABU petrol gas station, private clinic Zumrud in Vorovskii settlement etc. She also is a biggest land owner in the region, although officially these plots are registered on the names of her relatives. In addition, she put her portrait along with the photos of the president and his wife at the schools’ premises and boards. The people are direct victims of such policies, as there is poverty, injustice and arbitrariness of the extreme level in the region.

The FB users are actively discussing the scandal in Germany with political emigrants, being detained by German police, where the names of well known NGO leader dealing with the issue of migration and migrants rights and some members of the major opposition party Musavat are mentioned. Series of interviews of well known activists, journalists expressed their opinion regarding the situation in Germany, some demanding resignation of the chair of Musavat party. Prominent journalist Khadija Ismayil commented with irony, that even after such a scandal the leader of Musavat party still did not resign.  Yavez Akramoglu, in exile, commented in his interview to Ismayil Jalil, that Musavat party members in exile, giving fake IDs, willingly or unwillingly helped  the government  to send its agents abroad, he also said that this process was going for 10 years, and that some party members demanded investigation of this information, but the leadership did not react to it. Nahid Jafarov ( OYAN movement)  from exile appealed with condemnation, saying that “ you ( traditional opposition) turned politics into a market” He also criticised all the opposition minded journalists – Sevinc Osmangzi, Ganimed Zahid, Natig Adilov.   In contrary, NGO activist Anar Mammadli wrote that among arrested there are no party members, while   the chair of Musavat party in his interview to kanal 13 Arif Hajili stressed that  this is a campaign of deliberately discrediting the opposition party. He said, that once Musavat party created an organization of consolidating activists in exile, and conducted some visible rallies and vigils in the cities of Europe, the government sent various agents to destroy the organization or discredit the party. He criticised Habib Muntezir who put the blame on Musavat, although, Hajili says, it is proven now that Musavat has nothing to do with that. Altay Geyushov commenting on the information about the scandal in Germany writes on his page: “ I understand people, who want to leave Azerbaijan, because while not wanting to get involved in politics, they still want to save their  children from this regime. But to get commercial benefits from the refugee is morally defective. On the other hand, helping those, who devoted their lived serving this regime, to get a refugee status, is also immoral- as we saw how many “refugees” participated in the ruling party’s “patriotic” events. And at last Europe should answer the question: How come people, who devoted their lives to the struggle with the regime ( Nigar Hezi or Seymur Hezi) cannot get visas to European states, while those who served this regime- freely go back and forth?  And of course, what about those who with the stolen from people money bought half of London, Prague and other cities, enriching Europe, and impoverishing their motherland. Find the watches- al last- and ask the guy where did he get the money to buy them from? ( he hints to the scandal with 2 mln dollars  worth stolen watches in Ibiza which belonged to the son of the head of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev). The Azadlyg newspaper reports about arrival the plane from Germany with the 61 Azerbaijani asylum seekers as the act of re-admission on the 14^th of November. Of them-22 men, 18 women and 21 children.  They were met by the representatives of State Agency for Migration, says the report.

People share the information published by Azadlyg newspaper on the statement by the National Council. The National Council has issued a statement to the international community in connection with the recent rallies, which condemns the violation of Constitutional freedom of assembly, detentions and tortures of the activists and participants of the rallies and calls the international organizations to apply sanctions to Azerbaijani government.

Taleh Khasammadov writes about Rafael Piriyev an activist who is under threat of deportation from Germany, and who considers that he is facing threat to his life back home. Rafael Piriyev suggests that in this action of the German police  is instructed  by the Azerbaijani government.

Azadlyg newspaper writes about the living conditions in the village Kohnegishlag on the border of Agstafa region with Armenia where there is no gas supply. Most of the citizens of this 130 household village were fighting in the front, some of them lost their family members, and their requests for the gas supply for many years was not satisfied. According to the information by the war veteran Evez Mammadov, they are demanded 700 manats for laying the gas pipe-line for the citizens. The local citizens joke: either build the Armenian church so Rovnag Abdullayev (head of SOCAR) will supply gas for free, or permanently give “signal”, so may be the president Ilham Aliyev would be interested.

Russian speaking FB users share and discuss information about another plan of re-construction of the city centre and destruction of the old villas, the visit of Lavrov to Armenia and his statements, in particular interviews of former foreign minister Tofig Zulfugarov, the “linquistic” scandal with Gasan Guseynov.

The journalist Nurlan Libre, preparing for his wedding jokes: “My future mother-in-law says: Do not tell me you will invite Ali Kerimli (leader of opposition party) to the wedding!- Not only Ali Kerimli, but Ilgar Mammadov, Arif Hacili, Ilkin Rustamzade and other near 50 oppositional leaders, journalists, human rights defenders…” Poor woman simply paled…

FB users continue to discuss the appointment of ex-head of presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev to the position of the president of the National Academy of Sciences and his statement that he starts reforms there. Natif Jafarli of REAL comments: “The best reform of the Academy of Sciences would be its liquidation. The scholarship and science should be returned to the Universities. So far Academy of Sciences  succeeded in preparing good teams of players in table tennis and trick-track. PS. I wonder, what is the  agsaggal’s level of playing the table games? ”  The journalist Ruzgar Movsum commented: “ He has put all our country in the deep hole, and now wants all this to put in into the academy”

FB users continue to keep the situation and state of health of Ogtay Gulaliyev in the centre of attention. His son Ali reminds about critical condition of his father, that even the hospital in Turkey is not equipped enough to deal with. Ali Kerimli calls on the activists and ordinary citizens to help him with the treatment in the better clinic of Europe or the US. Zohrab Ismayil comments: dear friends, just before our eyes, they incapacitated famous human rights defender and the activist Ogtay Gulaliyev. Hitting him by the car, taking him to the hospital named after Semashko- all this reminded the fate of late journalist Rasim Aliyev, and writer Rafig Tagi. Even if we leave the suspicious nature of the “accident” aside, the country with the revenues of 150 bln dollars could afford better medical service, than the one rendered to Gulaliyev.Lets pray for his health and lets do real actions for the soonest end to this regime”.

The youth activist Ulvi Hasanli writes on his page: “ How come that the mayor of Ganja Veliyev got a bullet in his head and so quickly recovered, while a lighter injury of Gulaliyev led to the worst health condition of the latter? The Heydar Aliyev Foundation announced that they will locate him to the hospital in Turkey, but they put him in the hospital, which does not have a neurosurgery department. In addition, they did not fulfil the request of the family members to bring the other doctor for the check-up. There is no question that one cannot rely on this foundation, and we should do everything to relocate him to the better and more professional clinic in Europe!”.

The youth activist and feminist Rabiyye Mammadova writes about under estimation by the majority of parties and NGOs of the municipal elections, which she considered missed opportunity of educational work with population, testing of the activists’ own capacities  and other.

The activists and political leaders discuss how Ilham Aliyev again blames 1 year in power of the Popular Front Government for all the problems, often presenting fake facts about 1992-1993.