Azerbaijan: The ultimate battle of words

Originally written for Meydan TV now sharing this on my blog. 

There is an on-going trend for those who are not very familiar (or too familiar) with Azerbaijan. And that is the ultimate battle of words between the government officials and the world that exists outside their 86,600 km²  world. There is the official language which comes down to one general statement and that is there is nothing wrong with this nation of 9.3 million and that everything is just superb.

Then there is the unofficial language, of the invisible ones, of the group of people who are most often end up in jail, even more often intimidated or even more often belittled and humiliated.

But is still within the country boundaries.

Outside of Azerbaijan exists a whole other world. Which not always takes things the way they are. In short, “everything is grand” just wont cut it.

One of these countries, is her Majesty’s England. Famous for its five o’clock tea and delicious scones. But what England also has is an outspoken government, especially when it comes to speaking about the importance of the freedom of speech and human rights. These leaders are not so much liked in Azerbaijan. No caviar involving deals are done with these men and women.

And because caviar won’t do it, there is a special kind of treatment and allergic reaction developed towards such individuals. It is most commonly known as “go-mind-your-own-business” type of reaction.

So it was not at all surprising when one of Azerbaijan’s very own, Elman Abdullayev of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, reacted in exactly this manner to the words of the British Minister for Europe, David Lidington.

Just a few days earlier, Lidington condemned the verdict against the human rights activist Hassan Huseynli, adding, how much disappointed was he that Huseynli was sentenced to six years and whose sentence appears to be politically motivated. “In recent years the British Embassy in Baku worked closely with Mr. Huseynli on projects designed to promote social entrepreneurship and strengthen female participation in civil society. Mr Huseynli joins a growing number of civil society activists sentenced to lengthy prison terms. I again call on Azerbaijan to address concerns felt by many about the increasingly worrying trend of detentions and prison sentences which appear to be politically motivated”, read the rest of Lidington’s statement.

And in a manner of tit-for-tat, Press Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry immediately reacted advising "to refrain from undue interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, and spend their efforts to improve human rights in his [Lidington’s] country."

The icing on the cake was the following statement by Abdullayev saying, “no one in Azerbaijan  is persecuted for his/her political views, and he regards  the words of Lidington as an 'indicator' of  Britain's attitude to the rule of law” adding a myriad of existing issues as  “lack of conditions for free ships, torture, opacity legislatures, mass surveillance of citizens on the Internet and telephone tapping, violation of privacy, slavery, racial discrimination, violation of immigration laws, and etc.”

Does the last part of Abdullayev’s statement imply that there are no cases of torture, crystal clear and transparent legislature, no mass surveillance of citizens online and “0” cases of telephone tapping? Perhaps not so much of racial discrimination in Azerbaijan but what about minorities or religious groups and the tolerance exercised towards these communities?

The last time the world has checked UK ranks 33^rd and Azerbaijan 160^th on the World Press Freedom Index; 36^th vs. 183^rd (don’t have to guess which one is which) on the Freedom House Press Freedom Index; UK is “free” when it comes to Freedom on the Net and Azerbaijan is “party free” (imagine all that surveillance); one gets the picture without further comparisons.

So why the battle? Why poke fingers at ourselves by comments and statements that make little sense and draw only further criticism if not laughter? Wouldn’t it be better to start addressing some of the raised shortcomings rather than dismissing them? Perhaps it is time to accept the truth?

Many of these questions will remain just questions for the time being. Mostly due to the mere fact of negligence, which is widely spread among the government circles in Azerbaijan. And to the dismay of the many who see the reality different from Azerbaijani authorities the battle will go on.

This is what you get for a pat on a shoulder

Novruz Mammadov is the chief of the department of foreign affairs of the Presidential Administration. Stefan Fule is the Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy. Azerbaijan became a member of the Council of Europe in 1999. You are probably thinking what these three have in common. Not a lot, especially if you read one of the most recent statements made by Mr. Mammadov in response to Commissioner Fule's statement regarding the arrests of two opposition voices- Ilgar Mammadov and Tofig Yaqublu. Very openly and quite boldly, Mr. Mammadov threatened EU officials warning them to stay out of Azerbaijan's internal political business and instead deal with its own crisis. 

Frankly, I wasn't surprised to hear such words of deeply nourished wisdom, coming from someone like Mammadov. But the tone is astonishing. Don't mess with us or you will make the lives of those arrested in Azerbaijani much worse than it already is.

This boldness so to speak didn't come from nowhere. For years, Azerbaijan was treated gently or "hugged and held" at a safe distance for Europe's own interests. But its not just Europe. US too, taking into account Azerbaijan's strategic significance been "soft" when it came to hold Azerbaijan's corrupted leaders accountable unlike say in Ukraine or Belarus where pressure has been much higher and more visible. And so, the spoiled child of Europe and the US, Azerbaijan, grew into a spoiled adult, rarely listening anymore. Today, Azerbaijani officials fear no one. They arrest, beat, torture, because they are certain their brutality will go unnoticed (except from "very concerned" statements). Their message is simple- we don't have to listen to you!

And so, Mammadov's statements come as no surprise, after all he is not the first, and he certainly wont be the last. If you remember just few weeks ago Ali Hasanov, head of the Social and Political Department under the Presidential Administration advised Christopher Strasser to retire all together.

The importance of stability in the region, and in the country is costing Azerbaijanis a lot, which surely interests the West to a lesser extent. And while Azerbaijan receives a gentle pat on a shoulder with somewhat parenting look to be kinder, no lessons are learned- the spoiled child returns home to play with its toys, and break or throw away the ones it no longer has interest in. 

The stability they show you

Perhaps, this is for the attention of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, perhaps this is for the attention of human rights watch organizations, perhaps its for nobody's attention after all nobody cares really at policy and decision making level abroad about rights, freedoms of Azerbaijani people. 

So perhaps I am addressing very those members of the parliament who voted against the resolution on political prisoners not so long ago. I must share with you, dear apologists and avid supporters, the brutality of Azerbaijani government, its so called democracy and respect for its people. Surely, this is not the kind of stability our officials talk about when they meet in Brussels, Strasbourg or DC. And surely, this is not what they show you when they invite you to lavish parties at consulates, embassies, residences of Azerbaijani ambassadors abroad. 

This is from a letter shared by journalists arrested during the riots in Ismayilli:

They keep people from Quba in terrible conditions. Those trialed in Khachmaz as "organizers" of Quba events were taken from Baku (Kurdakhani) to Khachmaz on a cargo train. They traveled the night, cold, on the bare floor of the compartment reaching their destination in the morning. In Khachmaz they are held in a room with an open sewage. They are sticking bottles into the hole of the sewage just so not to go crazy.

Sounds like a scene from a movie, but its not. This is real. This is present day Azerbaijan, and this is the country you dear apologists say is doing pretty well and there are no issues with human rights abuse. But do not worry, you are safe and you can have as much caviar as you want. Because this is the imaginary stable Azerbaijan you prefer to believe in.

Why we should strive to be better...

"... lets be clear, we are not comparing like with like" wrote Neelie Kroes on her personal blog reflecting on this past week's IGF held in Baku while referring to some of the EU member states as Hungary, Bulgaria, and Greece where freedom of expression issues are also present. Indeed, we are not and should not compare like with like, especially when that "like" has to do with which country has worse human rights record or more journalists facing bogus imprisonment charges.

Azerbaijan is no Pakistan yes, where recently a 14 year old school girl blogged about the difficulties at her school under the Taliban regime and got a shot in a head for that (this is not to say we should forget Elmar Huseynov's case, who too was brutally murdered on the door steps into his apartment in 2005). 

For all the critical remarks, statements and comments voiced during the conference there is a lesson to be learned for those who speak of the reality in Azerbaijan and for the Azerbaijani government. We, Azerbaijanis, living in and outside of Azerbaijan must continue telling the truth about the situation on the ground with regard to human rights, net freedom, freedom of expression, political prisoners, and prisoners of conscience. We must continue discussing the difficulties the country's citizens face as a result of lack of "generosity" of the country's greedy officials (lets not start debating which official owns how much). Azerbaijani government, should stop comparing itself to country's that are doing much worse in any of the above mentioned aspects and realize that counter arguing international reports that only state the obvious when it comes to human rights record or the state of the free press damages already shaken image of a country that once was a promising land of freedom, equality and liberty.

Why strive to be better? Well, one message to the authorities is to accept and try to improve rather than shrug it off. Why? Wouldn't be so much better when for once something positive is written about Azerbaijan? Why not improve the situation? Why not strive to be a better country?

What I saw during IGF was that Azerbaijan's government representatives actually do not understand the importance of hosting such important and global events. We might be the "Dubai of the Caucasus", we might have high-end boutiques selling non-affordable (at least for most of the Azerbaijanis) products, we might have construction boom but its not something to talk about during a venue as IGF nor it is a place to tell its visitors to enjoy the PRed-Eurovision-flashy videos while forgetting (or not considering?!) to provide translators (to Azerbaijani) for the opening session and boasting of the development of its ICT sector while failing to provide fast internet connection at an internet focused forum.

It is also not a place to prove anything. The majority of participants and speakers at IGF already knew the situation in the country. Watching short promo videos on Azerbaijan wont form their opinion. Few statements on how things are perfectly fine in the country wont convince them. If proving and convincing is the case, then why is it that every time someone from the government or pro- government raised a question in the audience or made a remark quickly disappeared from the room never staying for after discussion after the sessions (essentially showing that none of things said matter because they don't care because they refuse to accept)? 

I understand that its difficult to accept ones faults and weaknesses. But things can, should and must be improved. Instead of claiming to have free access to Internet why not assure and guarantee Azerbaijani citizens, advocates, activists freedom of expression? Why issue bogus arrest warrants? These people would not write what they write if things were as perfect as officials describe! 

Looking ahead, and trying to think positively, perhaps Azerbaijani state officials will take this forum as an opportunity to sort itself out (which doesn't mean to arrest more journalists, shut bloggers up, and take other terrible measures against advocates). We must be better! We could be better! We need to be better! We need to be building future while not destroying the wealth we have! We don't need Guccis, Burberrys and Dolce&Gabbanas. We need uncorrupted education. We need smarter spending measures. We need to work on our reputation and we need to start now. Perhaps, the first step would be to release imprisoned journalists and let them do their job?! 

IGF2012 is over, but the difficult situation in Azerbaijan isn't. So I am also asking international actors, organizations and representatives who were here this past week, don't forget of your promises and don't give up on Azerbaijan. There is still hope...

Azerbaijan wont host Olympic Games in 2020

Its a one thing to hear Azerbaijani top official aid talk about stellar democracy, human rights and freedom of expression record in this country and the country being an example to other European countries but its another thing when bought Europeans, like Burson- Marsteller (Brussels) tout for Azerbaijan "as a good place for the 2020 [Olympic] games" oh and its gets even better, because here are the reasons why: "because of its Olympic values of respect, excellence and fair play!"Man they are good with words!

It is no surprise that Azerbaijani government invests heavily in lobby firms in the US and Europe and this is just one of the examples of these fruitful investments. What Burson- Marsteller perhaps could not see coming (or maybe simply blown away by the generous sums of cash and maybe even caviar served on a golden platter with a souvenir box containing Azerbaijani air, the judgement ability was blurred) was  the International Olympic Committee might actually say no (oops! there goes the precious Azerbaijani people's money to nothing but who cares anyway when we have true democracy and a prospering nation).

Oh but its ok, because there will be plenty of other opportunities. If its not Olympics then there will be something else. After all, its not so hard to find something where money can be "strategically" outsourced...

'Promoting Azerbaijan's polished face'

This is an article I wrote in March on lobbying activities carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities abroad. Thought I share it here too. The original article can be viewed here.

Promoting Azerbaijan s Polished Face

Who says Eurovision is just about glitz and silly pop songs?

No no, I won't be writing about the positive qualities for Eurovision song contest, because honestly I don't see any. Its a silly contest for those bored out of their minds and not knowing where to spend their energy... Or something like that... 

Its all about cheesy love songs, break up songs, relationship songs, more love songs, every once in a while life songs but at the end of the day all of these songs we can listen to (for those of course who prefer listening to this kind of music) anywhere else. 

But back to the point. I came across this video earlier today calling for release of all Azerbaijani political activists who are currently in jail serving their sentences for something that is their given right- freedom of expression. And so the video is basically asking for support for something that is far more valuable than just another glitzy show performance.

Freedom for Azerbaijan's political prisoners from ELDR party on Vimeo.

Carpeted and sumptuous facades of Azerbaijan

As we all just barely recover from the New Year celebrations, never- ending food and goodies left from the festive night, others been working hard. And I am ever grateful for this hard work given the tremendous (or perhaps not so much, depending how you look at it and who looks at it) influence this work might have on certain individuals who prefer lavish life styles and extra cash to things like a drop of honesty perhaps.

Before I confuse you even more, here is what I am talking about. Spiegel, released an article (though I would like to call it more of a tribute) about/to Azerbaijan which might please critics of the government and not so much those who are lobbying to "burnish" the country's image in Europe. Apparently the busy bees been occupied contracting shady pr agencies and throwing extravagant parties disguised under "cultural events" (apparently having carpets involved makes the purpose of such gatherings cultural- sigh, if only carpets knew how they are being used these days...) to improve the country's image in preparations to the upcoming Eurovision song contest. 

Perhaps the busy bees are blinded my their bank accounts (reminding me of Donald Duck and his "$"- sign- popping- eyes) and their little tiny brains that were at some point in time and space replaced by "money money money, always sunny" phrases (which by no means implies that I don't have respect for ABBA anymore) and propaganda- talking machines. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many ex- European government officials you "buy", "convert" or whatever this shady business style is called these days- oh, I remembered now, it has a fancy word for it- Lobbying!- one can only hide behind carpeted and sumptuous facades this much. Sadly, it also reveals how much money can buy and what it can eventually do to you (see for instance Qaddafi and his "sad" departure from this world). 

Anyway, the point is, you should read the article, draw your own conclusion, decide what to believe in and finally visit Azerbaijan this May. We live in a funny world, you just have to be careful who you trust, how you trust and whats behind that. After all Ronald Reagan did say once "trust, but verify"...