Vice Presidency for your own, intimidation for others

So the news of Mehriban Aliyeva, the wife of current president of Ilham Aliyev being appointed first VP traveled fast and for many has been a matter of ridiculing. 

It is pretty easy system- you are from the family, you get pampered, you get to do what you want, but if you are not... Then it is a whole other story. 

Just like the story of Netherlands based video blogger Ordukhan Babirov whose family members have been detained and questioned over the blogger's political activities outside of Azerbaijan. 

Or the story of Germany based rapper Jamal Ali. 

Or the story of 100 something political prisoners. 

Or like the stories of recently detained and sentenced to administrative detention activists: Rahim Shaliyev, Amil Mammadzade, Elchin Ismayilli, Farasat Ahmadov, Elvin Behremov and Namig Abbasaliyev. 

Or like the stories of so many others whose names we don't know. 

Yes, it is good to be part of the Aliyev family and be untouchable. 

Ilham Aliyev is after Azerbaijanis living abroad

It all started a while back. Arrests of opposition party members during the mid 2000, beatings, and persecution. Nosey journalists had to pay a hefty fine. Elmar Huseynov was murdered in front of his house in 2005. Then came more crackdown. In 2009 Azerbaijan had the referendum. Elections meant nothing, if not a little theatre performance Aliyev regime was extremely skilled with the most recent ones worthy of an Oscar if you ask me. 

While the Eurovision song contest in 2012 put Azerbaijan on the map, it did so with all its dirty business. By this point, there were a few investigative stories around to expose corruption and behind the doors businesses of the ruling family members as well as ministers and so on. 

In the meantime, just as corruption and personal wealth of the few grew, freedoms disappeared. 

Aliyev and his cronies watched closely. Or maybe he didn't because he is too busy for that, and his minions watched closely instead. They launched a new wave of crackdown. Everyone was to be punished if it contradicted what the government was saying and doing. It did not matter any more if you were a journalist, an activist, a youth activist, a human rights defender. Everyone was a target but the officials. 

I don't have to remind you of the prominent cases that were all over the news in 2014 and into 2016. 

The releases that seemed like the good news (even though they should not have happened in the first place) brought a wave of bad news soon after. 

It was time to re-fill, replace the spots in prisons. 

We thought it could not get uglier. When 20 somethings were sentenced to 10 years in jail for drawing graffiti (!!!) the 50 something judges who have carried out these sentences went back to their homes, comfortable, warm, with extra credit for lip service in their bootlick banks. 

In the meantime, family members of those who have fled the country were (and are) terrorised by the authorities (and surely no one has been punished for this either), called into questioning, and eventually faced with no other choice but to denounce their family members. Daughters, sons, just like that, lost their families not because they died (which also happened) but because their families were forced by the circumstances. 

And it got uglier. 

When mother of a rapper was detained for four days and questioned for a video her son released forcing him to remove the video from YouTube. 

And just yesterday [February 19] an Azerbaijani activist and video blogger Ordukhan Teymurkhan living abroad received a phone call from police officer in Baku telling him "had he been a man, his sisters would not be detained". 

Here is a bit more in detail about the case: 

So here is a reminder for anyone out there who thinks Aliyev is a good guy, or that things are changing for the better in Azerbaijan. Aliyev is not a good guy. He never was, he never will. And he will continue to do whatever he wants because there are no checks and balances. And honestly, I don't know how else to explain the fact that he has never had even the slightest of the intention to change. Again, Aliyev deserves Oscars for such an outstanding performance for making many believe things might change. 

When rape and fear is your only weapon

"[...] the policemen beat them, forced them to take their pants off, and threatened to rape them with truncheons and bottles if they did not confess to drug possession. Following the abuse, they confessed to drug possession before they were allowed to see their lawyer."

This is not a movie script. This is police brutality in Azerbaijan, member of Council of Europe, signatory to a number of international conventions and treaties. This is the country, whose president recently shook hands with President Obama, smiling, proud while people like Ilgar Mammadov and Khadija Ismayilova are kept in silence behind the bars in Azerbaijan prisons. 

This a country that hosts conventions, UN events, sporting events all the while stealing from its people and living off like kings at the expense of its people. 

It is a country where police never found perpetrators behind Elmar Huseynov, journalist who was brutally murdered in front of his house in 2005. It is a country where police never fully explained and got the bottom of a murder another journalist/writer Rafig Tagi. It is a country where police failed to find those were behind setting secret cameras in journalist Khadija Ismayilova's apartment, and those who later blackmailed her with sex tapes and released them online.

But is a country where police is quick to fabricate charges against activists and notable individuals. It is a country where police can easily "discover" following a "thorough investigation" substantial amounts of heroin or molotov cocktails or arms in homes of activists, journalists, and other government critics. 

It should not be surprising then it also happens to be a country featured in Panama Papers and where its leader is stealing off just fine. 

The opening quote in this post was from a recent reported published by Human Rights Watch documenting recent arrest of two youth activists and their treatment inside the police. The report also said, "They [the two young men] were also forced to clean the toilets and yard of the police station while police filmed them. While at the station trying to get access to Mammadov and Ibrahimov, Sadigov [lawyer] saw police kick and humiliate his clients as they cleaned the station yard. Sadigov tried to intervene to stop the ill-treatment, but police physically pushed him out of the station."

I understand Aliyev's personal pleasure in silencing his critics, but does this recent treatment indicates that he also gets pleasure from his thugs called police raping these people as well?

Ali Hasanov's another ridiculous statement

Ali Hasanov, recently promoted minion, ehm... excuse me... government official proclaimed Azerbaijani media is free like a bird. The head of the political and public affairs department at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said the country cannot imagine its existence without free and independent media. 

Well Mr. Hasanov, I have got news for you - free and independent media imagines its existence without you! 

You didn't know?! I hate to break it to you but thats the truth. 

I thought you would know by now especially after you have managed along with other hard-working minions, ehm... excuse me yet again... government officials to shut down any independent media?! 

But I must say there is so much truth in your words like when you said "unverified, tendentious or ordered information make its way into media" - you of all people know how well this process works in Azerbaijan. 

But in case you think other countries might get misled by Azerbaijani news - do not worry. Pretty much everyone knows how you have silenced Azerbaijan's independent media and that all that's left isn't really media but a weak and pathetic platforms that I personally feel sorry about - because these so-called media platforms and those so-called journalists are nothing more but your apologists. Too bad for them. As they waste their lives being a tool in the hands of people like you. Although who knows, their salaries might be making them happy to be tools. In this case, too bad for their dignities. 

Oh and one more thing, since you are so worried about "humanity" as you mention in your speech, can you spare at least a bit of that and get our political prisoners out? Or your humanity is only enough for your international image?! Enough to recognized existence of political prisoners elsewhere but in your own country?! Yea, I thought so... That you lack the courage and what it takes to be a true politician is something that everyone knows and "not only in our country but throughout the whole world". 

Perhaps Mr. Hasanov, you take this advice: get a life and stop being a tool in someone's hands. Although you might be an already lost cause. 

Internet Governance Forum meets again [updated]

It is that time of the year, when the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meets again. This year, the event is hosted by Indonesian government and we are in Bali. I won't lie, concentrating in a beautiful place like this, surrounded by stunning beach hasn't been easy (especially when you are the only person dressed in business causal outfit while the rest of the guests walk around in their bikinis and other summer attire).  

This year's general theme is Enhancing Multistakeholder Cooperation for Growth and Sustainable Development. As it has been in the past years, the guests of the conference represent a diverse group- government representatives, civil society institutions, media, academia, human rights defenders, freedom of press advocates, activists, journalists, and bloggers.

I have only been to two IGFs but its enough to compare. Whether it was the internet, the venue or any other logistical matter, IGF2013 was by far, better organized than IGF2012 in Baku. There were shuttle buses waiting for guests at the airport not to mention a registration table set up at the arrival terminal. Of course, visas were issued upon arrival with no difficulties (this is not to say that there weren't visa issues- many participants, especially those traveling from Africa had difficulties to either obtain visa, or missed the forum, because they were managed to get it on time). 

The registration on the first day of the forum was also very quick. Perhaps it was because our delegation arrived early but still it did seem all throughout the day, that the registration line moved more or less quick.

Last year I attended IGF as an independent, this year however,  I am here as part of a kick ass Freedom House delegation and its been a privilege to be here with them (in fact, check out the Freedom on the Net reports published by the Freedom House this year).

Some highlights

Registration: The registration process was very efficient as I mentioned earlier.  One strange encounter was when I received my badge, it had my picture from last year IGF. I don't remember signing any papers letting IGF Secretariat keep my photo. As it turned out later during the day I wasn't the only one. Few more people who attended IGF last year in Azerbaijan were issued badges with photos from last year (as I discovered later, it wasn't only the photos from last year but also USB sticks too). 

Another bizarre experience was meeting Miss Internet Bali 2013- indeed, you didn't misread that. There was Miss Internet, who was the pageant winner (if you are fluent in Indonesian you can learn more about it here). According to an article in Jakarta post I found online the winner is the 19 year old Dewa Ayu Windu Sari Devi. She is a student at the Udayana University's School of Economics. Her extensive knowledge on Internet usage and services in Indonesia got her the prize. Devi is going to be the symbol of using the Internet "smartly and wisely" reported Jakarta post.

Wifi: the internet connection which was terrible last year (not to mention completely inaccessible during some of the sessions which focused on the human rights or freedom of expression issues in particular) was working just fine here (some participants had some difficulties connecting); each meeting room had a giant stand set up with a list of names of each sessions scheduled to take place in these rooms. The leaflet distributed upon registration with the IGF program provided the map of the venue with room names and numbers. 

I think the main reason why it was different this year was because for Azerbaijani government it wasn't so much about the quality of organizing but about simply having an event like this in order to add it to its list of "trophies" (there is an Azerbaijan booth here proudly distributing a report from last year's IGF, but proudly failing to mention anything about the human rights discussions or press freedom related criticism raised during the meetings). As an alternative you can read this report titled "False Freedom" that just came out. 

Issues discussed: Throughout the week some very interesting and important discussions were made-highlighting safety of bloggers, protecting rights of online activists, the role of governments in ensuring safety of users and free access of information and more (for the list of workshops and sessions see here). Surely there were sessions when internet policies of repressive governments was questioned and the lack of accountability measures- of holding governments responsible- highlighted. But whether there is going to be a solution to this any time soon is yet to be seen.

Wrapping up this one week long event, I am looking back and thinking of ways of taking back with me the knowledge (especially on online security) and contacts and hoping that meetings like IGF have more impact on certain governments and issues. But also get their control mechanism in order- because it is no doubt interesting that IGF is hosted in countries where human rights and freedom of the press records are not necessarily at their best. 

Azerbaijan, where cost of life= cost of taking part in a protest

The lucky number of protestors arrested during a rally in Baku organized online and attended by few thousands on January 12th received their "verdicts". Each of the lucky 24 activists, were fined, ranging from as little as 300AZN (~300EUR) to as high as 600AZN with the total of fines adding up to 11150AZN.

Below is the list of names and their fines.

1. Ebulfez Gurbanli-500 AZN
2. Babek Hesenov-600 AZN
3. Renad Najafov-600 AZN
4. Rashad Hasanov-600 AZN
5. Zakir Rehmanov-400 AZN
6. Vusal Bayramov-500 AZN
7. Tural Abbasli - 600 AZN
8. Ulvi Hesenli 600 AZN
9. Mehemmed Ibrahim 500 AZN
10. Isayev Hemid 500 AZN
11. Kazimzade Azer 400 AZN
12. Elisoy Eltac 300 AZN
13. Subhi Hesenov 400,
14. Turgut Gambar 500 azn
15. Abil Huseynov 400 azn
16. Rail Abbasov 300 AZN
17. Turkel Azerturk 600 AZN
18. Ramin Hacili 450 AZN
19. Tezexan Mirelemli 500 AZN
20. Rauf Memmedov 300 AZN
21. Firuz Agayev-300 AZN

22. Tural Hasanzade- 600 AZN

23. Anar Agammedov-300 AZN
24. Nurlan Bayramov-400 AZN

Incidentally, the government is ought to pay around 10000AZN to the family of Ceyhun, the soldier, whose death caused such reaction and led to the protests organized on Saturday. 

Whether it is a coincidence that the amounts are so close to each other is a mystery. 

The young men, all were fined under the new law on mass gatherings, as a result of which fines were increased 30fold. 

"Azerbaijan: in the shadow of dictatorship"

Came across this report by accident when searching for news on Azerbaijan online. Excellent job capturing Azerbaijan and its present. 

You can access the original report here.

Azerbaijan: in the shadow of dictatorship

An inspirational talk at TED

"What fuels a movement are the anonymous extraordinaries behind it!"

Watch a 20-year-old passionate organizer speak at TED talks only to inspire her viewers and listeners. I don't know about you but I definitely feel inspired.

"Free them NOW!"

The video campaign/petition below, was prepared in support of prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan [AZ]. I too call on the immediate freedom of Elnur Majidli, Ruslan Bashirli, Zulfugar Eyvazov, Jabbar Savalan, Sahib Karimov, Arif Hacili, Tural Abbasli, Elnur Israfilov, Ahad Mammadli, Ulvi Quliyev, Vidadi Iskenderov, and Mehemmed Mejidli!

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber- Dissidents

I have been meaning to upload this great report for a while now but since Turkey banned blogger.com and you can only access it through bypass proxies and changing your DNS servers, its been rather frustrating keeping my blog updated recently. 

This "Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Activists" is a useful guide book for all those who want to make sure that they are safe and secured from a number of different actors and most importantly their authoritarian governments (yes, there are still many countries in the world that are authoritarian, and Azerbaijan is just one of them). Prepared by the Reporters Without Borders, this handbook looks at terminology of today's online community and its residents, guidelines for how to set up and run blogs, ethics especially for those bloggers who write of news in their countries and become sources of valuable information for external actors, and much more. 

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber- Dissidents