We have already informed that at the 11th South Caucasus Media conference held in Tbilisi organized by the OSCE Representative for Freedom of Media issues, Azerbaijani journalist, also Head of “Central Asia and South Caucasus Network of freedom of expression,” Azer Hasrat said that a part of journalists and bloggers arrested in Azerbaijan are advocates of the Islamic state who are willing for Azerbaijan to turn into an Islamic state like Iran.
Today, in the conversation with “Aravot”, Mr. Hasrat reiterated his word. He said that out of all of these convicted, he personally knows only two of them, who are generally known to the public: editors-in-chief of two newspapers, and the rest are unknown to the public. According to Azer Hasrat, some of them are living in South Azerbaijan and are directly under ideological and even financial influence of Iran. “I am a Muslim but I do not want my country, Azerbaijan, become an Islamic state and Shariah law function in my country. While these people are willing just it, by disseminating these ideas. Azerbaijan is a secular country, and we do not want to turn into a country like Iran and Afghanistan. I cannot say that Iran is our enemy, but deep in my soul I understand that it is not a friendly country.”
To my question of whether such sentiments are observed in Azerbaijan, and whether it is already alarming, he replied that such sentiments are disseminated especially among the youth, because they are more likely to undergo influence, which is very well understood by Islamists and are trying to get what they want through the youth. “In the Soviet period, when religion was banned, the gap incurred in people’s spiritual life had become a fallow land, and the Islamists clearly realizing it are trying to fill in this gap with their ideas,” said our interlocutor.
He even hinted that they obviously could not and cannot imprison these people for their views, and have found an excuse, but if you were released, they could cause great harm to the Azerbaijani society with their dangerous views. “With regard to those two editor-in-chiefs, I must say that I am also fighting for their release. I always say that our government should not keep these people in jail and constantly be rebuked by the international organizations because of them.
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The same question I asked to Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social-Political Department Advisor Kamran Hasanov. He said that he could not say how many of the detained are Islamist followers, he only noticed it when Eurovision was planned in Azerbaijan, there were people who were spreading calls for violence on their websites. “Perhaps you remember that rumors were disseminated that a gay parade was to be held, and they were divulging calls for violence: let’s go and forbid them, let’s not allow them such a thing, let’s prevent, smash up and break… Naturally, they were arrested for these calls, however, I cannot say that they were under the influence of Iran, or funded by Iran.”
Melania BARSEGHYAN
