Index on Censorship is sad to report that Rafiq Tagi died from his wounds in hospital on 23 November

In Azerbaijan, whenever you share your criticisms of religion or the government you know that it may be the last time you are able to do so. This thought might have run through the mind of prominent writer Rafiq Tagi when he was stabbed on Saturday, 19 November in Baku. According to Tagi, an unknown man “who was very nervous and did not say a word” knifed him from behind several times and then ran away. The writer survived (though he is still in hospital), just as he survived his stint in prison.

Tagi was sentenced to three years in jail for a 2006 article published an article in Senet newspaper. “Europe and us” criticised Islam and argued that the religion holds back the economic and political development of some Muslim countries, including Azerbaijan. Religious groups in Azerbaijan and neighbouring Iran reacted with anger, saying he had insulted the Prophet Mohammed, and Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani issued a fatwa calling for his execution. Tagi served eight months of his prison term, but following international criticism Tagi and four other journalists were pardoned by the president.

Following the attack on Tagi, I asked myself a series of questions. If the attack was motivated by his criticism of Islam, did it follow that he was considered to be the ultimate evil, an evil that disturbs Muslims’ peace and harmony and prevents them from scientific development or from bringing about justice in their own societies? Though the Koran promotes peace and considers the rejection of violence to be a profound victory — an example set by the prophet in the chapter (or surra) “victory” —  are those who physically attack Tagi really saying that Islam supports violence, seeing it as the only way to solve conflict? My own father died while I was in jail and I asked the same question of a mullah who preached hatred and violence against non-Muslims at my father’s small funeral ceremony, which I organised in jail. That mullah never answered my questions. He ran away and avoided meeting me for the rest of my stay in jail.

During my own time in prison, I read a short story by Rafiq Tagi, published in the literary magazine Alatoran. I asked myself: Can this man still be alive after writing so daringly? He was merciless in his criticism of religion and the current government. Exercising free speech in an authoritarian state is a deadly risk — even if that country is only “softly” authoritarian. It’s an even greater risk when its neighbour, Iran, is ruled by a brutal theocratic regime.

One of Tagi’s recently published articles is entitled “Iran and Globalisation”. It is a devastating assessment of the system of values currently dominant in Iran. In an interview following the assassination attempt, he suggested that this article may of sparked the attack.

One of my friends, philosopher Agalar Mammadov, once said that “words are dead in Azerbaijan”. But the number of attacks on activists like myself, and journalists like Tagi show that words are not obsolete. You can be punished for your words; killed for what you think and write. Rafiq Tagi lives in Azerbaijan and has no plans to leave the country. Unlike Salman Rushdie, he does not get a police escort when he appears in public. He has not run away; he stands behind his words. That deserves huge respect regardless of what we may think of his views on religion, God or life in general.

Emin Milli is a writer currently studying in the UK. He was imprisoned for his critical views of the government of Azerbaijan in 2009. In 2010, he and fellow activist Adnan Hajizade were nominated for an Index on Censorship freedom of expression award .

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Emin Milli, 30, who ran a video blog known as ANTV, received a two-and-a-half- year jail sentence, while Adnan Hajizada, 26, a video blogger associated with Azerbaijani youth movement Ol!, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on 11 November.

The two prominent youth activists were arrested on 8 July on spurious charges of “hooliganism” and “inflicting minor bodily harm” shortly after a brawl in a restaurant in downtown Baku. Hajizada and Milli were discussing politics in the restaurant when two sportsmen, most certainly government orchestrated provocateurs, attacked them. Police let the assailants go, but arrested Hajizada and Milli in a manner that left little doubt they were being punished for criticising the government.

Both bloggers had been using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and blogs to mobilise Azerbaijani youth in their non-violent struggle against the authoritarian regime in an environment where freedom of expression has increasingly come under threat. As active bloggers, both were believed to reach around 10,000 internet users in Azerbaijan, addressing issues such as education, abuse of power, corruption and mismanagement of oil revenues.

Weeks prior to their arrest, the two had posted a video craftily satirising the ruling regime, which had spent a large amount of state money importing two donkeys from Germany. According to many government critics, the video, which was posted online, was a great source of anger for officials and was thought to be the major cause of their incarceration.

Unfair trial and verdict
The international criticism to the arrest has been almost unprecedented. Many western governments and international non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations have severely condemned the case against Milli and Hajizade.

A statement by the US State Department lambasted the prosecution and unfair trial. The statement criticised “the non-transparent investigation, closed court hearings [and] disproportionate legal charges”, and raised concerns about the “independence of the police and the judiciary as well as about restrictions on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan”.

Criticising the corrupt court proceedings, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) said the trial of bloggers has been a “sham from beginning to end”, resulting in an “outrageous and unjust sentence”. It believed the trial was “orchestrated solely to censor and punish two politically committed bloggers who dared to criticise the authorities”.

Defence lawyers for the bloggers are planning to appeal the verdict and also take the case to the European Court in Human Rights in Strasbourg. Lawyer Isakhan Ashurov argued that both of the bloggers were innocent on all charges, but the “country’s justice system is totally corrupted and politicised”. Another lawyer, Elton Guliyev, said there were obvious contradictions in the testimonies given by defendants, witnesses and supposed victims. A witness in the court admitted that he wrote “what the police had instructed him to write” in his criminal complaint.

Both of the bloggers have been kept in custody since their initial detention on 8 July. Their requests for conditional release have been turned down.

The Presidency of the European Union expressed its concern with respect to the verdict, stating that the “trial proceedings did not reflect due process” and the court decision “may further undermine freedom of expression in Azerbaijan”.

Implications
According to Giorgi Gogia of Human Rights Watch, the verdict will “send chilling messages to those who are critical of the government”. Local activists are concerned that the imprisonment of bloggers may intimidate other bloggers, leading to self-censorship.

Internet usage has risen considerably in recent years, particularly among young people. Simultaneously, press freedom has deteriorated and opposition voices have been almost totally silenced in the country’s public life. The total state control of broadcast media led many among youth activists to believe that the only channel of appeal open to them is to use social networking techniques. Those tools are emerging as an alternative source of information in Azerbaijan, where youth activists use them extensively to disseminate and discuss politically sensitive issues, which would almost never be covered in local media because of political censorship.

Almost a year ahead of the country’s next parliamentary elections, opposition politicians argue that the ruling regime wants to prevent the internet from becoming an opposition tool. Taliyat Aliyev, senior politician of the opposition Democrat Party notes that the authorities seem very concerned over the growing use of social media. “The government understands the power of the online media and its growing use by critics. So, the incumbent tries to control it by every means before the crucial elections. As it was in the case of Hajizada and Milli, the authorities will continue to employ a wide range of tactics to hamper the mobilisation of outspoken young activists against the repressive political regime,” Aliyev has said.

Ongoing media crackdown
Freedom of expression continues to be the single most pressing concern in Azerbaijan, with ongoing suppression of those who speak out, a sharp rise in violent attacks against journalists, the banning of radio stations and intimidation of the opposition and independent voices — in some cases, such as that of Elmar Huseynov, resulting in death.

In early 2009, authorities banned the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty, Voice of America and the BBC’s transmission in local frequencies. Dissenting voices and alternative information were only available in Azerbaijan via those outlets.

The incumbent regime effectively use defamation provisions to obstruct investigative journalism, prevent public debate and stifle open criticism of the government, public officials and other powerful oligarchs. There are currently three journalists in jail under charges relating to their journalistic activity.

In 2009, RSF’s press freedom index ranked Azerbaijan 146th out of 175 countries. International rights groups have repeatedly raised their concerns about the government’s absolute grip on the media and the deteriorating climate of impunity against independent journalists.

Vugar Gojayev is a freelance journalist writing on developments in the South Caucasus.

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