My personal blog, my thoughts.
Exactly one year ago today, two young Azerbaijani men, Bayram Mammadov and Qiyas Ibrahimov, wrote anti-government slogans on a monument to Heydar Aliyev in Baku. The next day, they were arrested, accused of drug distribution and possession and sentenced to 10 years.
Meydan TV tells the story of these “monument prisoners”.
Read more “10 Years for Graffiti: Prisoners of Conscience in Azerbaijan”
Russian national of Armenian descent Marat Ueldanov, who was convicted in Azerbaijan, fears that he is hindered from appealing the court judgment.
His sister, Mariana Mirzoyan, told Armenian News – NEWS.am that Marat called her on Wednesday and informed that he was moved to a terrible place at 12:00 pm on Friday.
Read more “Marat Ueldanov convicted in Baku fears he is hindered from appealing court judgment”
There are a number of factors that further contribute to such behavior of the Azerbaijani side. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)) David Babayan, referring to the information spread by the Azerbaijani side about the identification of a group of servicemen and civilians allegedly working for the Armenian special services.
Read more “Armenianophobia and terrorism are the basis of the policy of Azerbaijan”
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan does a masterful political Jekyll and Hyde. A cable from the American ambassador to Baku released on WikiLeaks described him as a Michael Corleone-Sonny Corleone figure — referring, respectively, to the coolly calculating and the impetuously violent brothers of the “Godfather” mafia family. Mr. Aliyev is “pro-Western” in many of the ways the West admires: He is suave, well dressed and well spoken in English; he is ready to send his country’s ample supplies of oil and gas to Europe and to Israel; his Islam is moderate and modern; and he hosts lavish international events like the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and the European Games to be held next June.