Who cares about average pensioner in Azerbaijan when he/she can die knowing there is White City

Yes, we've done reforming, we've done changing, our people live in prosperity and all they need is Baku White City project because there is nothing else they want more. 

Azerbaijan and Eurovision (post no. 19098942093)

Here is a piece of gossip you probably missed watching Eurovision today. A young man, by the name of Rauf Mardiyev sent me a tweet calling me "brainwashed" and "stupid" (indirectly that is, through his tweets) following tweets being sent out throughout the last give or take few years about Azerbaijan, its poor democratic and human rights record, not to mention issues and problems existing with free press, and freedom to speak one's mind. It turns out, Azerbaijan's democracy is limited to only praises and words of gratitude because when it comes to criticism its not all ok. 

Translation: @arzugeybulla Will you write anything positive about this #Eurovision? Why don't you understand (your brain doesn't take it literally), what you are doing is damaging #Azerbaijan in the first place

Now, personally I would love to raise praising words when it comes to Azerbaijan, was there a democracy I would be the first to say cheers! Would there be free press and respect for Azerbaijani journalists, I would be the first to say cheers! But Rauf, as long as none of this exists, people continue going through corrupted universities and schools, patients continue to pay bribes in hospitals and fail to receive proper health care there is nothing to praise this country for. Of course, we might have different perceptions of praise- as you say "thousands like you" see Azerbaijan as a shining beacon of whatever it is that you see it to be but as I have said it already earlier today, I am going to repeat it again- WAKE UP! 

Yes, Eurovision brought us the Crystal Hall, but at what costs? I much rather prefer couple of hundreds thousands spent on our very own pensioners, on the costs of drugs they need to get, make it free or at least equally accessible for all among so many things that could be done to make lives of Azerbaijani people better.

Yes, it is also true that Eurovision brought us the city beautification, but again, at what costs? So you don't care about those Azerbaijanis who still have no water, gas, or electricity constantly running in their homes in villages all the while you and the tens of thousands like you prefer watching Eurovision and indulge yourself in wealth that is not equally distributed, nor equally accessible to other young people like you. 

If you think there is something good to say about Eurovision then talk about illegal evictions our government carried out. You should also talk about beaten, arrested journalists in prisons. Or, wait, I know, you should praise our country for blackmailing, it does it really well. 

You might be one of the hundreds of thousands but the value and weight of spoken truth is so much more than the people like you. You are trying to tell a story backwards but what you are failing to see is that the story was already told, many times and just like me, people who know, know... So if you think that by sending me few tweets as the one above, calling me brainwashed I am going to be ashamed of my actions and become a "different" person then you are mistaken (in fact, I am not sure all together why you send me tweets to this day, didn't way close this subject a while ago when you continuously decided for some reason to take up your issues with me as if I am the only person who writes about our inspirational country?). I choose honesty over whatever it is you live and propagate for.

Maybe after watching this report on Azerbaijan (watch on BBC) you will at least stop harassing me on Twitter. Peace out!

Here are the rest of the tweets we exchanged after the initial one: 

Azerbaijan on Channel 4

UK's Channel 4 prepared this report about Azerbaijan, this year's host of Eurovision song contest. I have just one small comment- Jamal was arrested in March 2012 not 2009. Other than that well done!

'Hypocrisy'

'Hypocrisy' is a short promo video about Azerbaijan and the hidden "treasures" behind Eurovision glitz and glamor.

Idrak Abbasov- another journalist attacked and severaly beaten

Here is an image showing journalist Idrak Abbasov beaten today and who is currently hospitalized for his injuries. His attackers are free, probably looking for their new pray. 

Photo source

Ironically today was the day Idrak Abbasov received the Guardian journalism prize at the Index on Censorship free expression award.

The reason for his attack- simple and straightforward. He was doing something that wasn't pleasing to the employees and representatives of the State Oil Company (SOCAR). His attack is only one of the many and those to come in Azerbaijan, a country where democracy and freedom prospers on daily basis if you listen to some of the official statements.

This is a perfect example of prospering freedom in this case- anyone could basically beat up anyone- that is the notion and understanding of freedom...

***
OSCE just issued a statement regarding the beating. Read the full statement here.

Baku- a year later, changes are there but what about conscience?

My heart was racing. I was standing at the passport control at Haydar Aliyev International Airport. I was nervous. After being called a traitor, an agent and many other negative things by our beloved media, it was my first time home since my last visit to Baku in December of last year. I was nervous and millions of unpleasant thoughts for pacing through my mind. 

Few minutes down the waiting line, a woman in crispy uniform with a pretty smile said "Welcome home!" and stamped my passport. I was smiling too. Now when I think of that moment, I can feel the heavy weight lifting off my shoulders. 

I was excited to be back. 

But Baku didn't change. Apart from new constructions, a bit of usual glitz here and there everything was the same. The sad and stern looks on people's faces were everywhere- on the streets, on public transportation. The daily concerns did not disappear as quickly and as easy as some parts of old Baku destroyed for new construction projects and other mind blowing changes planned for the new Baku.

And though this may sound too dramatic, it felt like I was back in a country that had no future. Yes, and you might not agree with it. You don't have to agree with it. But, we, the citizens of Azerbaijan have no future because our future is being taken away from us. The life, the standards, the country we could possibly have one day, remains a distant dream, hidden inside of people like Bakthiyar Hajiyev who is still serving his unjustly given sentence in prison. 

I thought of the people sitting behind their desks up there watching their Baku and ours, taken apart piece by piece, people forced to misery- all aware of where we have come. Surely, these officials are also aware that no matter how many new buildings they construct, or facades build, they will never cover the reality- poor health care, deteriorating education, non- existent social care and most importantly human relations (you might say how is that relevant, but it is. If you suffocate people so much, no one is going to care about others, its all going to become one big survival of the fittest struggle, if not it has already become so). 

New Baku looks nice, but who is it for? You can "renovate" as many schools as you want, as many hospitals as you want, but if those who work there hold on to their old habits, all of this "beautification" is pointless. If young men on the metro don't know how to behave, if people litter the streets, if no one respects a line in front of an ATM machine- then none of them are going to understand the new Baku. They simply don't care! And why would they- if they struggle with their daily lives, if they need to take care of sick parents, if they need to pay a bribe at their local school or university...

Its just sad. Seeing how much is wasted, the potential human resources, and most importantly the potential future we might have. Its recklessly going away as if we are eternal, as if what have is infinite. We all are going to leave this world one day, but its the next generations who are going to stay behind and struggle with what we are leaving behind. 

Albert Camus once said "by definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more". Today Azerbaijani government has a policy- arrest, silence, forget, bribe, renew, rebuilt and don't look back. The question is, what policy will it have tomorrow? 

The new Baku, demolishing and “beautifying”

This is an article I recently wrote for Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso.

The women in a video recently posted on Rfe/Rl website are desperately screaming protesting violation of their rights; a man in the background shouts “şərəfsiz” [AZ] (without dignity); the building hosting the offices of the human rights organization “Institute for Peace and Democracy” and two other NGOs is being demolished. The whole scene resembles chaos. Young men start demolishing the building in front of desperate people that look helplessly at the scene, then cranes intervene.

This demolition is part of an urban development project- a new park known as the ‘Winter Boulevard’. Angered men and women in this video are residents of this old neighborhood of Baku that is being destroyed. They were not alone in protesting against the demolition of this building. The UN high commissioner for human rights expressed concern regarding this event, while the European Union representative in Baku and Human Rights Watch openly condemned the demolition. 

“Beautifying” the city comes at high costs 

The ‘Winter Boulevard’ project is said to be under the supervision of the first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva. Nonetheless, the authorities don't seem to care about answering to the questions and demands of the local residents forcefully evicted from their homes. The body in charge of the demolition is the Baku City Council, however, its officials remain silent about the issue. The area envisaged for the construction of this project is partially a historical district of an old Baku with some of the buildings dating as far as to the 19^th century. Besides, the majority of destroyed buildings that carried historical significance were supposed to be protected according to a decision previously adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers.

And yet, neither demands by local resident nor history seem to matter for the local authorities. The demolition of this area situated between two main streets, Shamsi Badalbayli and Fuzuli, began in 2010. The residents were each offered 1500manat/ square meter (US1,900). However, unsatisfied with the offer  (the amount doesn’t meet the present day value of these properties) residents took the matters into their own hands and headed to the Presidential Administration office (February 2010). Unable to get any results there, they then decided to try to protest in the streets (February 2010) only to be dispersed by the local police. In March the frustrated residents decided to hold a conference at the Human Rights House. Their attempts continued with a hunger strike in the courtyard of one of the old buildings scheduled for its demolition. Nothing worked and according to the Rfe/Rl local service some of the evictions and relocations were carried out without an official paper except for a 2008 decision, which interestingly calls for an execution of 1987 plan issued by the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR on the construction of the Winter Boulevard.

Last year, Osservatorio published an article describing some of the most worrying features of the construction boom: Baku’s location on an active seismic zone; absence of a general urban and development plans for the city; demolition of Baku’s historically significant buildings and old residential districts; un-notified and forced evictions; unequal compensation packages and much more. In fact, little changed in year. 

 

New Baku with its slowly fading beauty

Little is left from a city that was once home to the likes of “Ali and Nino”, the oil barons and its pathways. Baku is now a booming capital of construction, pricey real estate, luxury cars and boutiques- at a glance a city of wealth and stature. Its future is guaranteed by the country’s “black gold” with no one questioning the sustainability of these developments and constant changes to the capital’s landscape as a result of new construction projects. Rapid growth in the real estate market brought to the development of some the most extravagant construction projects in the last decade. 

Some of these over-the-top projects include Baku White City project, which involved re-construction of the main downtown area, adding ten new districts and with a total development area of 221ha. Its partners include names like UK’s ATKINS, F&A Architects, and Foster and Partners. According to the developers the project includes 440,000 sq.m of office space, 230,000 sq.m of retail space, 3,600,000 sq.m of residential space and 530,000 sq.m of commercial space. 

In the meantime while the local authorities indulge themselves in these copious ideas, according to a Human Rights Watch report, residents are forced out of their homes in the middle of the night, and detained while their homes are being destroyed with most of their personal belongings, either damaged or missing. Interestingly, based on the country’s property code [AZ], the state can only seize or purchase property if it’s planning to build a new road, a railway, or military building. Also, according to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers a legal contract must be signed with the property owner; the owner given 90 days notice; and provided with transportation during the re-location. Moreover, there is even a Presidential Decree from 2007 stating that the owner shall be paid 20% more of the market price in order for the landowner stay satisfied.

Time for real change? 

While some might say that coming first in the Eurovision song contest this year in Düsseldorf was a great success for Azerbaijan, it is yet to be seen how the country’s leadership will choose to improve its image abroad. Having lavish boutique shops that cater only for the country’s small percentage of nouveau riche certainly does not mean democracy or fair distribution of oil revenues. Nor does it stand for addressing the needs and demands of the public at large let alone those suffering from the loss of their homes. 

The transformation of this capital city into a glamorous metropolis no doubt means much for investment hungry contractors and companies, however, perhaps it is also time to look at the destruction caused by these up- scale developments especially as they seem to come at the cost of lives and homes of ordinary people.