President tweets while Prime Minister bans

As Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan moved ahead with a ban on Twitter ahead of the local elections scheduled to take place on March 30th, the President of Turkey Gul, does not share the same sentiments. 

Sosyal medya platformlarının tamamen kapatılması tasvip edilemez.
— Abdullah Gül (@cbabdullahgul) March 21, 2014

Translation: "One cannot approve of the complete closure of social media platforms"

Whether its an attempt to play the good guy, is yet to be seen. Perhaps a step toward urging the Prime Minister to sack the court orders would show the true intentions. So far however, just a tweet.

Erdogan said he would ban Facebook and YouTube just few weeks ago. This time, without a warning though, except few fiery words at a campaign rally, PM vowed to shut down Twitter. And shut down he did- one of the "menace to society" as he called these platforms last summer is finally dealt with. Whats next?! A total Internet shut down?

'The World of Social Media'

'The spring that never blossomed: freedoms suppressed in Azerbaijan'

And finally, Amnesty International's new report on Azerbaijan is pubic. "Azerbaijan: the spring that never blossomed- freedoms suppressed in Azerbaijan" can be accessed at the Amnesty International's website here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR55/011/2011/en

The report only shows how far Azerbaijani authorities can go to silence its dissent. The deputy director of Amnesty International in Europe and Central put it very well: "Azerbaijan has achieved the bones but not the meat of a democracy [...]"

There are full accounts of the spring protests, as well as numbers of those arrested, detained, and sentenced as a result. 

I fully agree when the report concussions, one of which stresses the role of oil and gas and its significance  for the international community while basic freedoms only being a matter of secondary importance. 

You can read the report here as well or access and download it through Amnesty's website and the links provided above. 

AmnestyReport_Azerbaijan

'Arab Social Media Report'

Arab Social Media Report

Some "polite" male users of Facebook in Azerbaijan (updated)

The user Orkhan's Facebook and Twitter accounts were hacked, hence the message. Thank you Orkhan for letting me know, and everyone else, including Adnan and Ilkin who helped to clear this up. 

We are citizens of a different country

Another youth activist, was arrested today right from under the noses of his very own parents. Today, on March 8th, Rashadat Akhundov was sentenced to 5 days of imprisonment. And another activist, this time deputy chair of youth branch of an opposition party- Musavat, Sakhavat Soltanli was too arrested on March 8th. Soltanli was charged with auto- hooliganism. 

There are rumors that more activists will be arrested over the course of the next few days and any protests planned for March 11th, will be dispersed. 

It all seems out of this world- as if we are not citizens of this country but from somewhere else and so anything we say is used against us. Oh, wait a second, I think I know why, I have completely forgotten about it- we are all HOOLIGANS- and so the Azerbaijani authorities are punishing all its young hooligans on same charges (though I have to say auto hooliganism is something new). Its just there is this one thing- it looks funny from the outside- one huge and rich government is scared of its progressive youth?! Hmm... strange doesn't it?! 

"The 21st century is a lousy time to be a control freak"

It is indeed! Especially after seeing what is going on in the Middle East and North Africa I could not not share this video. Some excellent insight!

Alex Ross Senior Advisor at the US Department of State speaks on social media, 21st century, new technology, network, Middle East, North Africa, Wael Ghonim and much more.  Enjoy!

In case you were wondering... a little bit on March 11

Here is an article i just translated on March 11 that was published originally here [AZ].

It has been few days now that a group called “March 11- great nation day” was created on Facebook. A group of over 20,000 active Facebook users were informed of its purpose. The creator of the group, Elnur Majidli who currently lives in France and is also the founder of European Azerbaijanis for Democracy organization says the aim of this group is to break mass hopelessness:

“The date March 11 was picked purely by coincidence. But it also coincides with Mubarak’s resignation marking exactly one month. On February 11^th, Jabbar Savalan was arrested on charges of drug possession (that were planted on him) shortly after his call to people to come together at Freedom Square. On February 11^th, while Jabbar was in prison, in Egypt, a dictator fell”.

There is nothing planned on March 11, “its simply a people’s incentive” says E. Majidli:

“Azerbaijani people, community, individuals will do whatever it is they see in March 11 themselves. Maybe there are going to be tens and hundreds of different protests, someone will hang out an Azerbaijani flag from their window, someone will wear a t-shirt, others distribute leaflets and etc.”

When asked whether it was also a coincidence that all of the group moderators live abroad, E. Majidli said, despite some people being offered to moderate the group in Azerbaijan, they refused:

“Many people refrain, so we put more brave ones to break this avoidance. If I would have opened this Facebook page have I lived in Azerbaijan, I would  have possibly get arrested. That is why I understand those who are in Azerbaijan”.

Among creators of the group is Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who lives in Azerbaijan. He says, his involvement has to do with the technical issues of the group.

In the meantime, Chair of one of the pro- government political parties and a member of the national parliament Fazail Agamali, expressed his opinion regarding March 11, calling it “special project prepared in the kitchen of the radical opposition parties”.

E. Majidli however, criticized this statement, adding that he has already faced criticisms from the opposition parties regarding the event."

Social Media in the Arab World

Center for International Media Assistance just released a report: Social Media in the Arab World: Leading up to the Uprisings of 2011. Jeffrey Grannam, independent media consultant and the author of the report is someone with much experience working in the Middle East. According to the organization's website, the report was commissioned long before the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab countries. The report looks at the impact, social networks, communication and citizen mobilization and mobile technology had on these revolutions. 

This is a short excerpt from the report. The full version can be accessed here.

Digital communications technologies have expanded the tools available to exercise individual freedom of expression, and Arabs are indeed finding space online to express their opinions and enjoy freedoms that would otherwise be closed off to most. But while Arab Internet users have gained communications and technical capacities to use social networks to mobilize, the real impact won’t be felt for years, maybe even a few decades, observers say, when expectations and political regimes may have changed. For now, to express one’s opinion online, even when not delving into subjects deemed sensitive or traditionally off limits, remains risky in most of the Middle East and North Africa.