Once upon a time, in an Aliyev land...

Once upon a time, in an Aliyev land, run by an Aliyev clan,
lived a society, oblivious to a plan
that an Aliyev clan will diminish their worth in a span
of just two decades, give or take.

But wait for a sec.!
For some, we are still a democracy,
Even if everyone knows its all a hypocrisy. 

We never knew a democracy,
We only knew of it,
In books, stories, and memories
From those who saw it, felt it, and lived it.

For us, on the other hand,
Little is left to demand.
Our voices are muzzled.
While our minds are hustled,
for even trying to dream and imagine
a future free from
lies, corruption, and nepotism.

So instead, we are stuck in a world of cynicism. 

Today, another activist went to jail,
Her cell is cold while she is frail.
She has spent her lifetime fighting but to no avail,
For she was not liked by those above
For she said things, under the thumb of
Those who hated her, and others like her

And there are more like her.
Forced behind bars, both physically and mentally.
In a country, where arrests have become a matter of revenge
On anyone who tried expressing their rage.

And so it ends, the story of a society, oblivious to a grand plan
That was in the making by Aliyev clan
Welcome, to a la la land
of amputated spirits, marching their way, to the unknown.

Life in a prison cell of a political prisoner

Prison is a terrible place. It is worse if you are there not because of a particular crime you have committed but because of the crimes others have committed but trying to frame you. In Azerbaijan this phenomenon is called political prisoner and have many of these folks. In fact, we have more political prisoners than in Russia.

One of these prisoners is Ilgar Mammadov, presidential candidate, leader of a political movement. He was arrested after a visit to a town Ismayilli. In 2013 mass riots broke out there with people demanding attention to their grievances. And they had many. Poor infrastructure, corrupt administrative officers and so on. 

Mammadov went to see what was going on. The two was surrounded by the military (yes, the government in Baku was that afraid this might end up having a domino effect on other nearby regions as well). There was little information coming out. 

Mammadov was arrested shortly after his visit into Ismayilli. He was accused of organizing mass riots against the government and sentenced to seven years. 

But that is the story of many political prisoners. All sentenced on trumped charges, with no proof. 

People of Ismayilli would have never protested if they had better life standards, if they had better access to social services, and proper infrastructure. They would have not went on the streets had their administrative office was not a place of corruption and bribery but a place that actually dealt with people's problems and addressed their issues. But no, it was easier to jail political activists especially in the run up to the presidential elections to get red of competition and teach others a lesson. 

Mammadov's imprisonment however wasn't an end to silencing him and preventing him from continuing his political work. He has been beaten too. 

But in Azerbaijani prison, when a political prisoner is beaten, threaten, intimidated- it means golden stars for prison guard and the head of the prison from Baku's prosecutor office. Its as if they are assigned special homework. And beating is just one of the exercise assigned by the ruthless teacher. 

Mammadov's lawyer complained but it means nothing. 

It means so little that he was only seen by a doctor 5 days after he was beaten. 

Mammadov however thinks there is a reason behind these numerous attacks- to force him into signing a letter of pardon, apologizing. 

But apologizing for what? For wanting to change Azerbaijan for a better? For standing up for his rights and for the rights of others? For being an honest man? 

Official Baku proved on many occasions that none of the above really matter. It is only about consolidating more power, crushing down on more independent voices, and making sure people live in a constant state of fear.

Tragedies of Azerbaijan

Sadly there are many...

The fact that young man is celebrating his 20th birthday in jail today is our country's tragedy. He was jailed unjustly and now is serving a sentence that was easily handed by a judge who cared little about that man's life, and cared only about fulfilling his orders. He is our tragedy. The fact that we have this kind of corrupted, inhumane judicial system and cannot trust it, is our tragedy too.

The fact that 2 year-old boy hasn't seen his father since his birth is a tragedy. It is our tragedy that his father also bright, young and intelligent is locked up behind bars on someone's orders. Because that "someone" is afraid of people like that little boy's father, is a tragedy.

The fact that we have an elderly couple, known in the country for their valuable work is in jail for their believes and ideals is a tragedy. 

The fact that head of an independent election observation organization is in jail is our tragedy. 

The fact that we have over 90 political prisoners is our tragedy. 

The fact that police would force an older woman to testify against another person by threatening her is our tragedy. How low our police has fallen that it threatens an old woman. This is our tragedy. That we are left without any protection as we cannot trust the police, is a tragedy. 

The fact that we have liars running our country is a tragedy. The fact that we have corrupted government officials playing with our lives is a tragedy. 

The fact that we do not value those who have freed this country for the first time in 1918 is a tragedy. The fact that we have objectified certain individuals who have turned this country into a big joke is a tragedy. 

And then we have our Khojaly which too is a tragedy. The fact that we think of that day only once a year is a tragedy. The fact that we forget about it and only remember about it on its anniversary, showing those terrible images from that terrible night, cursing at everyone responsible for it is a tragedy. The fact that its used as yet another PR campaign by those who simply can is a tragedy. The fact that we cannot even let those poor souls rest in peace is a tragedy, the fact that to this day we continue using them to make gains and political statements is a tragedy.

The fact that we cannot forgive and have little compassion even to our own people is a tragedy. The fact that we cannot stand up for our rights is a tragedy. 

Today is a sad and tragic day in the history of Azerbaijan. But when we look at the bigger picture, its just one big tragedy as a whole. 

May those poor souls brutally murdered, tortured and frozen to death rest in piece.

And may we, find peace in ourselves and start recognizing all of our tragedies and not just selecting the ones that suit our interests best. These are all our tragedies that must not be forgotten or prioritized because all of these are about our own people, and one life can never be more valued over another.