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Persecution over Akram Aylisli in Azerbaijan and threats against him
brought international condemnation
10:48 16/02/2013 » SOCIETY
Azeri writer Akram Aylisli who is hounded for his 'pro-Armenian' book
Stone Dreams telling the truth about the massacres of Armenians in
Azerbaijan, brought about international condemnation, the article of
the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reads.
His books have been publicly burnt. He has been stripped of his
national literary awards. And a high-ranking Azeri politician has
offered $13,000 (£8,400) as a bounty for anyone who will cut off his
ear. But 75-year-old Akram Aylisli, one of Azerbaijan's most eminent
authors, does not regret having written his short novel Stone Dreams.
The book has shocked many Azeris. But could it also prove the first
tentative step towards peace with the country's longstanding enemy
Armenia?
"I knew what I was writing. They say I offended the nation. But I
think quite the opposite: I think I have raised my nation up," he told
the BBC by phone.
"I could predict they would be unhappy. But I could never have
predicted such horrors, such as calls for a writer to be killed, or
his book to be burnt. It is very sad that our nation is humiliating
itself in this way. A country that can burn books will not be
respected by the rest of the world," the writer said.
BBC says that the book describes Azerbaijan's conflict with
neighbouring Armenia through the 20th Century. But it details the
massacres of Armenians by Azeris, portraying the tragedy of war from
Armenia's perspective.
The article says that Azerbaijan is still traumatised by losing both
the war in the 1990s and almost 20% of its territory - the disputed
region of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas. So depicting Azeris as
perpetrators is shocking enough. To entirely leave out accounts of
Azeri suffering is for many unforgiveable.
`After the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan and
Armenia fought a brutal war in which both sides suffered enormously,
with up to 30,000 people killed and a million forced to flee their
homes. Today, despite a tenuous ceasefire, the two countries are still
locked in conflict, with dozens killed every year,' the article says.
However, according to BBC, even some of the book's critics, such as
Azeri opposition activist Murad Gassanly, condemn the persecution of
its author.
"With the exception of ultra-liberal circles, very few people actually
liked the book or its message. However, the book burnings, street
protests and calls for violence against the author were orchestrated
primarily by pro-government circles. There is no freedom of assembly
in Azerbaijan - it is impossible to gather and collectively read
books, let alone burn them! The fact that these protests were allowed,
protected by police and then shown on national state TV suggests that
they were orchestrated from the top,' he explained.
BBC notes that President Ilham Aliyev himself signed the decree
stripping Aylisli of his national awards and monthly literary stipend.
Ruling party parliamentarians demanded he leave the country or that
his DNA be tested to see if he was really Azeri, and not in fact
Armenian. And high-ranking government officials called him a traitor,
saying "public hatred" was the correct response. Aylisli's wife and
son both lost their jobs in state-controlled institutions.
`The calls for violence against Aylisli - echoing Iran's notorious
fatwa against British author Salman Rushdie - have sparked strong
condemnation from abroad,' the article says.
`Many analysts believe the vitriol against the author was an attempt
by the authorities to divert attention from a wave of anti-government
protests, which had swept the country in January. There are signs that
increasing numbers of Azeris are dissatisfied with the growing
disparity between rich and poor under President Aliyev, who faces an
election in October. And members of his government are accused of
corruption,' the article says.
"It's not unusual for the government to find a common enemy and unite
around it," said Giorgi Gogia from Human Rights Watch. "And it's not
the first time that freedom of information and free speech are under
attack."
According to the article at least five journalists critical of
Azerbaijan's government are currently behind bars, on what human
rights activists describe as trumped-up charges. `And in January two
well-respected opposition politicians, one of whom intends to run in
October's presidential elections, were arrested, accused of organising
anti-government protests. They are being held in pre-trial detention,
which in Azerbaijan can last more than a year. If found guilty, they
could face years in prison,' the BBC writes.
Stifling free speech not only quashes political dissent. The fear is
that it could also be harming Azerbaijan's chance of ever making peace
with Armenia. `This book tackles the issue which needs to be discussed
in society: looking at the past," says Mr. Gogia, who believes Aylisli
was extremely brave by being the first high-profile Azeri author to
show sympathy towards victims from the other side.
"Freedom of speech applies not only to those ideas that are
favourable. But even more so to those that shock and offend," he said.
Aylisli believes that peace can only be achieved by kindness, not with anger.
Source: Panorama.am
brought international condemnation
10:48 16/02/2013 » SOCIETY
Azeri writer Akram Aylisli who is hounded for his 'pro-Armenian' book
Stone Dreams telling the truth about the massacres of Armenians in
Azerbaijan, brought about international condemnation, the article of
the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reads.
His books have been publicly burnt. He has been stripped of his
national literary awards. And a high-ranking Azeri politician has
offered $13,000 (£8,400) as a bounty for anyone who will cut off his
ear. But 75-year-old Akram Aylisli, one of Azerbaijan's most eminent
authors, does not regret having written his short novel Stone Dreams.
The book has shocked many Azeris. But could it also prove the first
tentative step towards peace with the country's longstanding enemy
Armenia?
"I knew what I was writing. They say I offended the nation. But I
think quite the opposite: I think I have raised my nation up," he told
the BBC by phone.
"I could predict they would be unhappy. But I could never have
predicted such horrors, such as calls for a writer to be killed, or
his book to be burnt. It is very sad that our nation is humiliating
itself in this way. A country that can burn books will not be
respected by the rest of the world," the writer said.
BBC says that the book describes Azerbaijan's conflict with
neighbouring Armenia through the 20th Century. But it details the
massacres of Armenians by Azeris, portraying the tragedy of war from
Armenia's perspective.
The article says that Azerbaijan is still traumatised by losing both
the war in the 1990s and almost 20% of its territory - the disputed
region of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas. So depicting Azeris as
perpetrators is shocking enough. To entirely leave out accounts of
Azeri suffering is for many unforgiveable.
`After the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan and
Armenia fought a brutal war in which both sides suffered enormously,
with up to 30,000 people killed and a million forced to flee their
homes. Today, despite a tenuous ceasefire, the two countries are still
locked in conflict, with dozens killed every year,' the article says.
However, according to BBC, even some of the book's critics, such as
Azeri opposition activist Murad Gassanly, condemn the persecution of
its author.
"With the exception of ultra-liberal circles, very few people actually
liked the book or its message. However, the book burnings, street
protests and calls for violence against the author were orchestrated
primarily by pro-government circles. There is no freedom of assembly
in Azerbaijan - it is impossible to gather and collectively read
books, let alone burn them! The fact that these protests were allowed,
protected by police and then shown on national state TV suggests that
they were orchestrated from the top,' he explained.
BBC notes that President Ilham Aliyev himself signed the decree
stripping Aylisli of his national awards and monthly literary stipend.
Ruling party parliamentarians demanded he leave the country or that
his DNA be tested to see if he was really Azeri, and not in fact
Armenian. And high-ranking government officials called him a traitor,
saying "public hatred" was the correct response. Aylisli's wife and
son both lost their jobs in state-controlled institutions.
`The calls for violence against Aylisli - echoing Iran's notorious
fatwa against British author Salman Rushdie - have sparked strong
condemnation from abroad,' the article says.
`Many analysts believe the vitriol against the author was an attempt
by the authorities to divert attention from a wave of anti-government
protests, which had swept the country in January. There are signs that
increasing numbers of Azeris are dissatisfied with the growing
disparity between rich and poor under President Aliyev, who faces an
election in October. And members of his government are accused of
corruption,' the article says.
"It's not unusual for the government to find a common enemy and unite
around it," said Giorgi Gogia from Human Rights Watch. "And it's not
the first time that freedom of information and free speech are under
attack."
According to the article at least five journalists critical of
Azerbaijan's government are currently behind bars, on what human
rights activists describe as trumped-up charges. `And in January two
well-respected opposition politicians, one of whom intends to run in
October's presidential elections, were arrested, accused of organising
anti-government protests. They are being held in pre-trial detention,
which in Azerbaijan can last more than a year. If found guilty, they
could face years in prison,' the BBC writes.
Stifling free speech not only quashes political dissent. The fear is
that it could also be harming Azerbaijan's chance of ever making peace
with Armenia. `This book tackles the issue which needs to be discussed
in society: looking at the past," says Mr. Gogia, who believes Aylisli
was extremely brave by being the first high-profile Azeri author to
show sympathy towards victims from the other side.
"Freedom of speech applies not only to those ideas that are
favourable. But even more so to those that shock and offend," he said.
Aylisli believes that peace can only be achieved by kindness, not with anger.
Source: Panorama.am