Updates from the land of fire[d] "reforms"

Wow, it has been a while. In fact, a year and two months since I shared my speech at the opening ceremony from Forum 2000 last year. 

But that is not why I am here again. 

I thought I vent out and what not a better place, then here, on my good old blog. 

So, what has been going on in Azerbaijan? 

A lot, actually. And I find it hard to keep up, especially as I work on the book about Azerbaijan, and things keep changing, so I keep going back to my earlier chapters and adding footnotes to names, institutions, or legislation that changed, was replaced or sacked [in no particular order that is]. 

So, first things first, the Azerbaijan parliament has been dismissed or dissolved, by itself (or by the president) - which is still against the constitution so the general understanding is that it was dismissed by the president. The new election set to take place on February 9, 2020. And plus, no one really gives a damn about the constitution or laws in Azerbaijan, especially when they are always in favor of the government. On December 4, two days after the parliament voted to dismiss itself, the Constitutional Court in Azerbaijan ruled in favor of the decision approving the call for an early election saying it was not really against the country's constitution.

The official reason (or based on what Bahar Muradova read from her statement on the day the parliament was dismissed) to assist the government in on-going reforms (note: read between the lines, please, there are NO reforms). You would be surprised (or not) to hear 99 members voted in favor - so all those members who have "tirelessly" said yes, to everything that president has told them to say yes to were kicked out. 

Remember one of my first posts here about "flock of sheep"? In case you don't, here is a reminder. 

The president has also sacked some of his high ranking officials. Including Ramiz Mehdiyev (81), the head of the Presidential Apparatus or as he is known in more candid circles - Don Corleone - and a man known for his allegiance to the former president Heydar Aliyev. 

The president has also reshuffled the cabinet of ministers as well as the Presidential Apparatus. But please observers, don't be fooled by what you are seeing. It is the same family, the same mindset, and the same interests running the country. If anything, the new government is going to be rougher than the previous one.

Early parliamentary election

Not everyone is happy (not that there was a time when everyone was happy in the country). In just two months, candidates have to register, prepare their campaign and run for the parliament. Well, if these are going to be free and fair elections that is.

The opposition thinks the time allocated is not enough. Former leader of opposition party Isa Gambar told Azadliq Radio that the decision is nothing but an attempt to set up a designated parliament.  

Others are considering boycotting elections. 

Meanwhile, government representative Ali Ahmadov [Deputy PM] said, "The truth is, the people have boycotted the radicals [this is how he refers to the opposition]. And as a result, no one wants to hear their [opposition] calls [for boycott]. 

FYI, on December 23, Azerbaijanis will vote in Municipal Elections. 

The Central Election Committee says there are no issues with having two elections in such close time.

In my humble opinion, we can expect a few possible outcomes:
1. all newly "elected" parliament members won't be ideologically much different the previous ones, although they may be a few decades younger than the recently dismissed MPs;
2. a few opposition representatives may be "allowed" to enter the parliament but have very little impact given the majority is still going to be represented by the members of the ruling party (note: read between the lines once again, likely to be split between Pashayev and Aliyev fronts);
3. some concession and negotiations may take place between the authorities and the opposition where the latter will be allowed to be present;

Retirement plans and wages

You may ask what happens to the members of the parliament (and other high ranking government officials) who don't get elected in the next election? They retire, but not like any average pensioner in Azerbaijan. They get to enjoy a cushy pension. Which according to some independent economists is unfair, and so to make things fair, retired teachers, doctors, for instance, should be getting the same amount of pension as retired parliament members. Especially when you factor in the time spent in "active employment". 

Here is how it works: the minimum pension in Azerbaijan has been raised to 200AZN as of October 2019. A parliament member's pension is 80% of their monthly income which is about 4 times higher than the current minimum pension wage. 

And, in addition, even if you have been in the parliament for ten years an MP can get at minimum 1000AZN - compared to 20-30-40 and more years of work that teachers, doctors put in before they retire. 

Example: with a work experience of 40 years a teacher gets paid 256AZN after retirement, while a parliament member, who has been at the parliament even for one term [thats just five years], gets around 1100AZN. 

Parliament member Fazil Mustafa, says it's a fair recommendation to make all pensions equal, or at least improve those of the teachers and others but ensuring equal pensions may strain the state budget. 

It was only in October this year that minimum wages were raised [likely fearing more social unrest amid growing tension between the general public and the authorities]. As a result, monthly wages were raised from 180AZN to 250AZN [approximately 150USD]. While a monthly pension was raised from 160 to 200AZN.    

Meanwhile, parliamentarian's wages have been on a steady increase. As of May 1, 2018 MPs in Azerbaijan receive 1,732AZN [approximately 1,000USD]. 

The cost of living in Azerbaijan was set at 180AZN in 2018. Also, it is worth noting that the cost of living between 2014 and 2018 increased by 48AZN.

It is not only the pension that sets officials apart from the commoners. Ramiz Mehdiyev was appointed the president of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (may I remind you that he is 81). Or, Novruz Mammadov who until he was "dismissed" served as the Prime Minister was appointed as the Vice-rector of Azerbaijan University of Languages. Or Heydar Asadov, former minister of agriculture was appointed the new rector of Azerbaijan State Maritime Academy.

In other news

*The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report on her visit to Azerbaijan, with recommendations on how to ensure freedom of expression, increase the number of lawyers and the quality of legal assistance in the country, and empower internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

 *PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights has found that, on the basis of factual findings of the European Court of Human Rights, a number of individuals are “political prisoners” according to the Assembly's definition. Recalling the Court’s finding of a “troubling pattern” of politically motivated misuse of the criminal justice system, and the significant number of similar cases pending before the Court, the committee said that “fundamental reforms are necessary if Azerbaijan is to fulfill its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights”.

So in case, with all your good intentions and hope, you have been thinking there is a sudden wind of change in Azerbaijan, forget it, and I mean it. The only kind of wind you will see (or feel)- is the same iffy kind of wind that's been blowing away our future (and present). 

Who to blame when there is no one else to blame (part 2): my response to Emil Agazade

After posting this post yesterday, I received a response from Emil Agazade whose comment you can read below the actual post in the comments section. To clarify myself I wrote a response that I shared already in the comments section but also thought to post as a separate post, as I think it brings more clarity so to speak to my originally written post. 

"Hi Emil,

Thank you for reading my blog and taking your time to comment on the post.

In response to you, I am going to try and dissect both of your opinions. I hope this way there will be a tat bit more clarity.

I have read Hamilton's piece. While he might as you say be, "a dedicated campaigner who boasts about visiting Azerbaijan's illegally occupied territories and who does not pass on any opportunity to bash Azerbaijan" (I don't know him personally so I am taking your word for it) he did write credible and truthful things about Azerbaijan. None of the references he made are lies or biased and made up. And frankly speaking, while he might have visited the territories (illegally or not), its not about who he is, but about what he wrote and how he has written it. You see his piece as bashing, while others see it as a critical piece of someone's opinion who is listing known things and known events and naming real people who are currently under threat (and also gives some credit at the end too so he wasn't completely bashing the country).

You on the other hand, are saying that no one is perfect, so to say, and that there are little or no perfect democracies. But who is talking about perfection here? Surely you would accept the truth about the current reality of journalists in Azerbaijan, and many of its threatened journalists, arrested journalists, or journalists who are pending trial. Surely you would also not deny the mere fact that Armenia has nothing to do with the fact that our government is treating its citizens in such a way and ends up being criticized by the international community. Surely you would also accept that having Russia as our neighbor, shouldn't stop Azerbaijani authorities from being a true democracy. It is not about perfection, but it is about basic rights and freedoms.

I agree that quarter of a century is not enough, but something could have been done in a quarter of a century. Think of the number of parliamentary and presidential elections we have had since our independence. Why is it, that in the quarter of the century, we haven't had one single free and fair election. Or will you argue that all our elections were free and fair? Then why is it that we have mastered the principles of corruption and bribery so well in this quarter of the century, but failed profoundly in establishing a democratic state? Could you please explain, then, why is it that our education, healthcare and social care systems have suffered (despite increase in state funding though miniscule to say the least when compared to other sectors) while our ministers only got richer and richer in this quarter of a century?

How come we have mastered fraud in this quarter of the century instead of mastering honesty? 

Given our historical past that you touch upon in your piece- the brief independence, the rights granted to women- we should have been an example by now. But look at where we are. You think I enjoy reading critical pieces like the one by Hamilton, that it gives me pleasure? I am looking forward to a day when my country, your country, our country is actually a place when none of this is happening. Where rights are respected and where no one can say or write any of such things. But, things are different. And not even another quarter of the century is going to change this as long as we have corrupted minds running the country for their own benefit.

I don't care if elections in the UK were rigged, but I do care that elections in Azerbaijan were rigged are rigged to this day. Just because elections elsewhere are rigged, it doesn't give our authorities rights rigging our elections.

I am pretty sure, that having Azerbaijani territories occupied doesn't serve as basis for any rights abuses.

As to the Council of Europe and PACE- if Azerbaijan had a straight human rights record and impeccable history of elections and free society none of these institutions would focus on Azerbaijan this much. You know this as well as I do.

And do you honestly and wholeheartedly believe in this extra powerful Armenian lobby. Alas I am not defending it, but really? Its their fault? Its their fault that we have rigged elections? or its their fault that we have such poor situation with human rights?

Azerbaijan, is capable of doing so much better. And if things were really different at home, I would too promote Azerbaijan but not now, not today, and not tomorrow. Not until there is a real change.

There will always be people like Hamilton. It is our job to make our country a better place so tomorrow people like Hamilton have no arguments left with to criticize our country for. But as long as we find someone or something to blame and not take a responsibility, Hamilton and many others like Hamilton will continue criticizing Azerbaijan... "

Is Turkey's "silent revolution" the end of military coups?

This post was originally published on Waging Nonviolence on August 14th, 2011.

Source: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images 

Furious over the arrests of senior Turkish military officers, and unable to find common ground with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Chief of Turkish Armed Forces Isik Kosaner handed in his resignation, together with the heads of the navy, army and air force on July 29th. Some have been calling it a “silent revolution”; for the first time in its modern history, Turkey’s military appears to be coming under civilian control, after decades as the government’s watchful overseer and the orchestrator of sudden coups. But at what cost?

Over the last two years, Turkey’s secular military power and the stridently Islamic, conservative ruling AKP (“Justice and Development Party”) have been engaged in a verbal war over allegations that military personnel have been involved in plotting against the current leadership in an operation known as “Sledgehammer” (Balyoz in Turkish). Since February of 2010, over 200 officers, admirals, generals, and colonels been arrested, detained and charged with conspiracy. In fact, hours prior to Kosaner’s resignation, 22 suspects—all military officials—were charged with involvement in carrying out an alleged internet campaign to undermine the government. Over 400 academics, journalists, and other public figures have also been jailed and tried on account of another conspiracy, “Ergenekon”—an alleged group of secular nationalists plotting to bring down the current leadership.

While the government claims that the resignation was an early retirement decision, in his interview with the newspaper Hurriyet, the Chief of General Staff made it clear that his decision to leave his post came as a sign of protest against the arrests of military officers since 2010 and his inability to protect the rights of his personnel.

Here in Turkey, opinions vary as to what the resignations will mean. Turkey’s military overthrew four elected governments in a series of coups that began in the 1960s. The resignation clearly represents the end of the power Turkey’s military once held over the country’s political system. And while some might argue that the rise of the ruling AKP over the past decade, marked the beginning of truly civilian rule in the country, it is hard to say whether this particular change is an indicator of the ascendancy of the civilian power and a true sign of democracy. This collective resignation also means the disappearance of the last meaningful check on the power of AKP.

Moreover, it is going to take more than a forced “retirement” of top generals to achieve full civilian control over the army. Other officers could very well take matters into their own hands when they see how their values are being mercilessly crushed by a religions regime like the AKP under Erdogan. Turkey’s military still holds its rights to intervene in the country’s political system if they perceive a threat to it, according to the military’s internal service code, which has yet to be officially altered. Nor has the curriculum taught at the military establishments been changed to emphasize the supremacy of the civilian rule in the country.

The once-powerful military now feels demoralized and weakened in its capabilities, which could cause people within it to act rashly. According to military analyst Gareth Jenkins, “The officer corps is growing disillusioned. Military officers are very reluctant to communicate with one another as there is a fear that it will be intercepted, distorted and used against them.” Such conspiracies create an impression that the Turkish Military Forces are a bunch of criminals and it undermines its historical significance given that it was General Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who founded the first Republic in 1923. 

Meanwhile, the AKP’s grip on power grows. It has been introducing sweeping reforms, including plans for a new, nationwide internet filter system, which are changing the face of this promising and aggressively modernizing nation. It seems doubtful that the path to real democracy and justice will come from sudden “retirements” and other decisions made behind closed doors. This year, Turkey was rated as the country with highest number of imprisoned journalists, surpassing even China and Iran. One thing, at least, is clear: it is going to take a lot more than the retirement of few generals for the country to become an example of a healthy democracy in the Muslim world.