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WASHINGTON, DC. January 26, 2012: Yesterday, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a forum titled "What to Do With Pseudo-Democracies: Case of Azerbaijan." Hikmat Hajizade, president of FAR Center, an Azerbaijani think-tank organization, made a presentation on Azerbaijan. In his presentation Hikmat Hajizade discussed how the Azerbaijani government spent millions of dollars each year to support social institutions, which were purposefully dysfunctional. Azerbaijani parliament which acts like a rubber-stamp to the Azerbaijani president’s decisions, the Central Election Commission which oversees fraudulent election process, courts which fail to act independently and serve as a mockery to the principle of the rule of law, dysfunctional municipalities, dysfunctional Ombudsman’s Office and many similar institutions were discussed as examples to pseudo-democratic institutions. Hikmat Hajizade’s presentation made a point that these institutions had no value for the democratic development of the country and that their only function was to serve as a democratic veil for the anti-democratic nature of Azerbaijani political system.

BAKU. January 26, 2012: Yesterday, Public Chamber, an opposition union of political parties and civic organizations, held an action of mass protest in front of the French Embassy in Baku.  Click here for video The protesters expressed their resentment to the newly adopted Genocide Denial Bill in France which would impose a criminal punishment sanctioning up to a year of imprisonment on anyone who would make a public statement denying that the events of 1915 in Turkey amounted to a genocide.  The police dispersed the protesters.  Below are the photos from the event:

PARIS. January 26, 2011: Reporters Without Borders, an international media rights organization based in Paris, addressed a letter to the French Parliament urging to refer the newly adopted Genocide Denial Law to the Constitutional Council as it raises significant issues with the freedom of expression.  Below is the full text of the letter:

"Dear Parliamentarians,

Reporters Without Borders would like to reiterate to you its concerns about the proposed law aimed at combating “denial of legally recognized genocides,” which the Senate has just approved.

BAKU. January 25, 2012: Azerbaijani opposition forces united in Public Chamber strongly condemned the decision by the French parliament to pass a draft law on establishing a criminal liability for denying that a genocide took place with respect to the Armenian population of Turkey in 1915. "At a time when efforts are made to search for compromise settlement of interstate conflicts between Turkey and Armenia and between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the adoption of this law helps prolong the conflict and inflammation, promoting aggression, and increases the risk of war," reads the statement.

BAKU. January 25, 2012: Famous Azerbaijani screenwriter and public figure Rustam Ibrahimbeyov rejected the French Order of Arts and has left the presidency of the Society of Cultural Relations "Azerbaijan-France." Rustam Ibrahimbeyov Azerbaijan’s People Writer, Chairman of Confederation of Cinematographers of the CIS and Baltic countries, the head of Azerbaijan’s Union of Cinematographers. Rustam Ibrahimbeyov gained an international recognition after he penned the screenplay for the Academy Award winning movie “Burnt by the Sun.” Rustam Ibrahimbeyov’s statement reads:

"The event which happened on January 23, 2012 has caused bitterness and confusion all those who love France, with its great democratic traditions. A great system of values which influenced the spiritual formation of all mankind, which has been created by the citizens of this country for ages, is being destroyed.

BAKU. January 25, 2011: In an act of protest against the French Senate's decision to criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide, an Azeri TV channel ANS TV refused to advertise the French mineral water company Perrier. Perrier is the official sponsor of the TV program "Modern History" which is broadcast on ANS on Thursdays at 21.30.  According to Turan, on January 26 on the eve of starting programs on the TV, the TV station will officially refuse cooperation with Perrier (Turan).

BAKU. January 24, 2012: On the eve of the international song contest "Eurovision-2012" – an international event which will be held in Baku - the situation with human rights is not improving, but worsening, said the participants of the public campaign "Sing for Democracy", organized by a group of Azerbaijani non-profit organizations.  A number of violations including the violation of the property rights, the persecution of taxi drivers, the arrest of human rights activist Bakhtiyar Mammadov (the rights activist for military veterans), increased lately, said the coordinator of the Alliance to Protect Political Freedoms Anar Mammadli at a press conference on January 23.  "The Azerbaijani government is trying to present human rights activists as "unpatriotic." In fact, we are not against the contest "Eurovision-2012" in Azerbaijan. We just want the release of all political prisoners by the beginning of the song contest," said Mammadli.

BAKU. January 24, 2012: Today a group of international human rights organizations issued a statement expressing concern over the deteriorating situation of human rights in Azerbaijan. The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA) is a coalition of 20 international NGOs working to promote and protect freedom of expression in Azerbaijan. A delegation of members of the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan will travel to Strasbourg to raise concerns regarding the freedom of expression situation in Azerbaijan during the 23-27 January 2012 PACE session. Below is the full text of the statement issued by IPGA:

BAKU. January 23, 2012: Today Yasamal District Court of Baku partially granted the claim of Anar Mammadov, son of Ziya Mammadov, Minister of Transportation, against the opposition newspapers "Yeni Musavat" and "Azadliq." Each newspaper will have to pay AZN 4,000 (approximately $5,000) to Anar Mammadov for slander. Anar Mammadov complained about the reports published in these newspapers about his drunken adventures in Gabala region where in a local restaurant he paid $1 million to slaughter and grill the attraction bear. Click here and here

A separate claim was made for the newspaper report "Sheikh drives away Anar Mammadov from Dubai," published on September 14, the 2010. In that report the newspaper claimed Anar Mammadov was kicked out of Dubai after he attempted to stab a local sheikh. The incident reportedly took place in the restaurant Burj Dubai.

SOCHI. January 23, 2012: This afternoon the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan started a tripartite meeting to discuss the Garabagh problem.  The meeting is taking place in Sochi, Russia at the initiative of the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Earlier today, Medvedev held separate meetings with the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and the Armenian president Serj Sargsyan.

BAKU. January 20, 2012: Azerbaijan marks the anniversary of the January 20 events of 1990.  Click here for video On that day, the Soviet troops entered the city killing 134 and wounding over 700 civilians who protested against the Soviet rule over the country.  The military intervention was aimed at checking the national independence movement in Azerbaijan. 

Today, thousands of people including the Azerbaijani president, senior government members and the opposition leaders visited the Alley of Martyrs to pay respect to the victims of the January tragedy.  The mosques of the country hold the ceremony of commemoration of the victims of the January tragedy.

BAKU. January 19, 2012: Today, out-of-business taxi drivers of Baku staged another action of protest in front of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transportation. Click here for video Earlier, taxi drivers protested on January 17. The drivers are protesting against the new regulations of the Ministry which put them out of business by allowing only certain types of cars and companies to be engaged in the taxi business. The new regulations, if enacted, will monopolize the taxi business in Baku in the hands of the firms owned by Ziya Mammadov, the Minister of Transportation, and his son Anar Mammadov. The police dispersed the protesters by detaining a number of them. The taxi drivers say they intend to hold a picketing in front of the Presidential Administration tomorrow.

BAKU. January 18, 2012: Eric Rubin, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, visited Baku and held a number of meetings with the representatives of the Azerbaijani government and the local opposition.  The US official met with the senior Azerbaijani officials at the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense.  Eric Rubin also held a meeting with the representatives of the Azerbaijani opposition.  That meeting was attended by Ali Karimli (PFPA), Isa Gambar (Musavat), Ilgar Mammadov (REAL), and Igbal Agazade (Umid Party).  The opposition representatives raised the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan (Azerireport).

BAKU. January 17, 2012: Yesterday and today hundreds of taxi drivers in Baku have been protesting against the new regulations adopted by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transportation.  The new regulations put thousands of taxi drivers out of business and allow only certain kinds of cars into the taxi business in Baku.  Those are the cars imported and owned by the businesses close to Ziya Mammadov, Minister of Transportation, and his son Anar Mammadov.  The vocal protests of the out-of-business taxi drivers took place right in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Transportation. Click here for video  The protesters chanted the slogans “Resignation” and demanded that the new regulation adopted by the Ministry of Transportation be abolished and the Minister Ziya Mammadov be punished for his arbitrary actions.  Below are the photos from today’s protests:

BAKU. January 16, 2012: Today an unknown group identifying itself as "AzerianCyberArmy" attacked several websites of the Azerbaijani government institutions and the pro- government news websites. The attackers destroyed those websites and placed quotes from the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, and photoshopped accusations stating that the Azerbaijani government offices served the “Zionist interests.” The affected websites include the official website of the Azerbaijani president (www.president.az), the websites of the Baku Mayoral Administration and the Absheron Regional Executive Authorities, the websites of the Constitutional Court, Ministry of Interior, State Customs Committee, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies, the website of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP), Council of Government Support to Nonprofit Organizations at the Office of the Azerbaijani President, as well as the news portals of the AzerTaj and Trend News Agencies.

BAKU. January 16, 2012: Turan News Agency reports that the Turkish member of the parliament, Secretary General of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Ismet Buyuktamam sent a formal request to the supreme legislative body of Turkey demanding an investigation of an incident with the Azerbaijani human rights activists Intigam Aliyev at the Istanbul Airport in early December 2011. At that time the Azeri human rights advocate was beaten and arrested by the Turkish police at the airport and then deported from the country.  The Turkish authorities provided no reasonable explanation and the Turkish Attorney General’s Office in Bakirkoy, Istanbul refused to commence a criminal investigation on the incident.  In his formal request, the Turkish member of the parliament asked the Interior Minister of Turkey Idris Shahin to provide an explanation for Intigam Aliyev’s deportation and the violent behavior of the police.

WASHINGTON, DC. January 12, 2012: Pentagon officials on Wednesday announced that they believe tensions between the US and Iran has cooled in recent days.

“We have been very clear that we seek to lower the temperature on tensions with Iran”, Pentagon Press Secretary, George Little said, while meeting with reporters in Washington, DC, adding however, “things have calmed down a bit now.”

Another Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, in the meanwhile, stated that the presence of two US carrier groups in the US Central Command area of operations is just “prudent force posture requirements set by the combatant commander, and is nothing out of the ordinary.”

BAKU. January 11, 2011: A major film adaptation of one of the Caucasus's best-known literary works is now in the pipeline.

Producer Kris Thykier, whose previous film credits include "Stardust" and "Kick Ass," has now snaffled the feature rights to Azerbaijani novel "Ali and Nino."

Set in Baku at the start of World War I, Kurban Said's epic love story follows the travails of an Azerbaijani Muslim youth and a Christian Georgian princess during a turbulent period in the Caucasus's history, encompassing the Russian Revolution and Soviet colonization of the region.

WASHINGTON, DC. January 10, 2011: Turan's orrespondent interviewed Sarah Kendzior, an anthropologist who studies politics and the internet in Post soviet authoritarian regimes, including Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. She has a regular contributor at Registan.net and The Atlantic magazine.

How does the "internet activism" helps to explain the Arab Spring? What are the reasons that "enforced" activists in those MENA countries (Middle East and North Africa) to social media tools?

BAKU. January 9, 2012: Yesterday, the Public Chamber of the Azeri opposition held its first session of the year at the headquarters of the Musavat Party. Presiding at the meeting, Isa Gambar, chairman of Musavat party, called the results of the year successful for the Public Chamber. Isa Gambar said the Public Chamber was "an alternative center of power". Its activities included public discussions, mass protests, preparation of proposals on various policy issues. At the same time, Gambar acknowledged that the Public Chamber did not achieve its main goal – achieving the conduct of the early parliamentary elections. With regard to the priorities for the year 2012, one of the key issues on the agenda will be the demand of resignation from the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev because of his unwillingness to start a dialogue with the society, said Isa Gambar. At the same time Gambar said that during 2011, the Public Chamber repeatedly offered a dialogue to the Azerbaijani government. "We offered dialogue to the Azerbaijani government. We presented a "roadmap for smooth transition to democracy" but the government did not respond to it. It may be worth talking to the regime using stronger language, which they can understand,” said Isa Gambar.

BAKU. January 6, 2011: Azerbaijani social-media activists have launched a Facebook campaign called the Great Movement of the People in an attempt to strengthen public supervision of government actions it considers illegal, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

The campaign is the brainchild of Azerbaijani activist and blogger Elnur Majidli, who lives in France.

More than 4,000 Internet users were invited to register for the Facebook campaign, of whom some 1,000 have done so thus far.

Majidli told RFE/RL that more than 40,000 users have already shared material through the Facebook page. The movement also has an official website and YouTube and Twitter accounts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. January 5, 2012: On New Year's Eve the US Senator John McCain sent a personal letter to President Ilham Aliyev calling for the release of all political prisoners.  The Turan News Agency was informed that Senator McCain had praised the last act of clemency by the Azerbaijani president, in which the unjustly convicted youth activist and blogger Jabbar Savalan was released.  "I urge you to immediately release 16 other prisoners convicted for organizing peaceful rallies, as well as all other prisoners of conscience," the message says.  The US senator expressed "extreme concern" that the authorities still hold the brothers Farhad and Rafig Aliyev in jail, although both could be released in accordance with Articles 76 and 78 of the Criminal Code (parole and for health reasons).

BAKU. January 5, 2012: On January 3, the US ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza left Azerbaijan due to the completion of his diplomatic mission, reported the US Embassy in Baku. Adam Sterling will serve as Charge d’affairs till the appointment of the new US ambassador.  Ambassador Bryza's candidacy was blocked in the US Senate by the US Senators Boxer and Menendez. Although President Obama appointed Bryza, the US Senate did not hold a vote to confirm Matthew Bryza’s appointment.   According to unofficial sources, Bryza plans to leave public service, but the information was refuted by the US Embassy.

BAKU. January 4, 2012: Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers has allocated additional 50 million manat to finance major international events to be held in 2012 in the country. Among these events are: the fourth Congress of European Azerbaijanis, the fourth International Music Festival in Gabala, song festival Eurovision-2012, fourth International Music Festival dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibeyov.

BAKU. December 30, 2011: Today, the Forum of Azerbaijani Intelligentsia (FAI) managed to hold its session, but at a different venue. After the hotel management at the Hyatt Regency refused to grant a venue to the FAI, the organization held its session at the headquarters of the Helsinki Committee Organization in Azerbaijan. Click here for video in Azeri Rustam Ibrahimbayov aggressively attacked the authoritarian policies of the Azerbaijani government: “There is a commonly referred term – ‘state’. What is state? Five-six swindlers are sitting there talking about big issues. But in reality they are following their own interests. Why didn’t they allow us to gather yesterday? They knew we were going to speak the truth and their lies would be exposed. But what surprises me is this. They have been working there for years and yet they are so primitive, and have no manners. We used to prank our neighbors by switching their lights off when we were children. Now they are playing this childish prank on us. They are switching off lights, shutting the doors to our face, I don’t know, throwing rocks at us. And they have been doing that for 20 years. There is no development. At least they could have brought a professional from abroad to teach them how to carry out a political fight.

BAKU. December 30, 2011: Today, a group of civil activists with Nakhchivani origins held an act of protest in front of the Official Representation of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan in Baku.  Click here for video The protesters chanted slogans in defense of Zeynal Bagirzade, the activist of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who was arrested and tortured in Nakhchivan.  The prosters demanded the removal of Vasif Talibov from the position of the leadership of Nakhchivan.  The police quickly intervened and dispersed the protesters.  Below are the photos from the event:

BAKU. December 29, 2011: “Hyatt Regency” hotel failed the scheduled session of the Forum of Azerbaijani Intelligentsia (FAI).  In a short notice, the hotel management refused to provide the venue which was earlier contracted from the “Hyatt Regency.”  The hotel management explained this behavior with technical problems.  This issue has a political context because the FAI was a forum for vocal criticism of the Azerbaijani government. The scheduled session of this organization was expected to be another outburst of criticism against the Azerbaijani government voiced by the FAI members – well-known artists, writers, film directors, and statesmen. Eldar Namazov, the former adviser to the Azerbaijani president and the member of the FAI says the Hyatt Regency’s explanation about technical problems is not sincere. Eldar Namazov said the FAI had a contract with the Hyatt Regency about the venue for today’s activity.

NAKHCHIVAN. December 29, 2011: Arrested in Nakhchivan on December 26, the civil society activist Zeynal Bagirzade was tortured in a local jail. As a result, on December 28, he was taken to a local diagnostic center, where doctors fought for his life for three hours. Bagirzade’s brother and son were not allowed to see him.  Asef Guliyev, Deputy Chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), told Turan that Bagirzade had told his relatives he was beaten.  "I asked them not to beat me on the head," he managed to say to his relatives in hospital. His relatives said Bagirzade was very pale. The doctors refused to provide official information about his condition. According to unofficial information, Bagirzade’s liver is severely damaged.  The police tortured Bagirzade to force him to confess to a crime. Bagirzade was denied his right to legal counsel while in custody.

By Karl Rahder

Azerbaijan’s Arab Spring Moment

It was the Arab Spring that never happened: A series of demonstrations early this year in Azerbaijan that were meant to trigger new elections and the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev, son and successor to former President Heydar Aliyev. As the movement gained a small measure of momentum, one opposition leader warned in January that if the Azerbaijani government did not agree to new, democratic elections, “the people will rise up.”

“By then,” he said, “it will be too late for the authorities, and events will develop in accordance with the Tunisian and Egyptian scenarios.”