Osservatorio balcani caucaso
by Arzu Geybullayeva
Sept. 14, 2020
Longtime political activist and member of Azerbaijan's oldest
political party, Musavat, Tofig Yagublu has always been in the sights
of the authorities. He was arrested at least 35 times and recently
received his fourth sentence. Now he has decided to go on a hunger
strike
Imagine being in your car, driving to a local market to pick up some
groceries. You drop off your partner and wait inside the parked car.
Then, suddenly, a vehicle that appears out of nowhere comes
side-swiping your car. You are surprised and shocked, especially as
the driver and the passenger get out and try to attack you. You stay
inside the car and call the police, only to be arrested on charges of
criminal hooliganism. Veteran political activist Tofig Yagublu, 59,
did not have to imagine this. This happened to him on March 22nd,
2020. After official charge, Yagublu was sentenced to three months in
pretrial custody at the Pretrial Detention Facility No.3, known for
its inhumane conditions. After months in custody, Yagublu was charged
and sentenced to four years and three months for a crime he did not
commit.
Tofig Yagublu is a member of the country’s oldest opposition party
Musavat. As a veteran activist, he has attended many political
rallies, made statements, and has been critical of the ruling
government for decades. Not surprisingly, he is all too familiar with
jails in Azerbaijan, for he has been detained and arrested at least 35
times throughout his lifetime. And this is his fourth sentence over
the last 12 years.
Most recently, Yagublu was sentenced to 30 days in administrative
detention after participating in an unsanctioned opposition rally in
October 2019. He was sentenced to five years in jail in 2013 on
spurious charges and was released three years later amid international
outcry against Baku’s harsh measures to silence dissent. In 1998,
Yagublu was sentenced to two years behind bars, once again on bogus
charges.
His family has been prosecuted too. His daughter, Nigar Yagublu [now
Hezi], was sentenced to two years and six months in 2012, and his son
in law, journalist Seymur Hezi, was sentenced to five years on bogus
hooliganism charges in 2014.
Like those never ending television series, the persecution of Yagublu
family by the authorities has been on for decades. This time, Yagublu
is determined to put an end to the inhumane treatment of his family.
Following the court sentence, Yagublu said he is going on a hunger
strike and he will not stop until he is released and if it means he
will die then be it, he told his daughter.
It has been ten days and Yagublu has now been joined by other
opposition activists who have gone on hunger strike in Azerbaijan.
Former political prisoner and journalist Afgan Mukhtarli has set up a
tent in Berlin, outside Chancellor Merkel's office, and started his
own hunger strike. A campaign #FreeTofigYagublu and
#TofiqYaqubluyaAzadliq is being used and shared widely on social media
platforms.
On September 9th, some 38 activists and journalists were detained
after an unsanctioned rally that was organised in support of Yagublu,
calling for his immediate release.
The persecution of Tofig Yagublu and his family is not an isolated
case. In March, just days before Yagublu was detained on hooliganism
charges, President Ilham Aliyev claimed in his nation wide address he
will not let the “enemies” and “the traitors” within destroy
Azerbaijan. If Yagublu is one of these enemies, then Aliyev’s
government is about to destroy him. On September 10th, Yagublu’s
daughter told journalists that her father’s health is ailing. “He is
experiencing weakness walking and speaking and he has fainted once.
His blood pressure is low”, said Nigar Hezi.
Following a medical examination by an independent doctor, on September
11, and a formal letter sent to the European Court of Human Rights on
September 12 stating the severity of Yagublu's condition with a
possibility of him going into a clinical coma, Yagublu was transferred
to a clinic.
He remains under doctor's supervision. In a statement on September 14,
his doctor, Adil Geybulla confirmed Yagublu's condition was now
stabilized. "In any case, he is in better hands here," said Geybulla
in an interview with Azadliq Radio .
Meanwhile, scores of opposition activists have been targeted since the
president’s statement in March. During the COVID19 lockdown, key
members of opposition groups were detained for allegedly violating
quarantine regime. While some were fined over social media posts
critical of the government, others were detained or targeted online
and harassed. Since April Ali Karimli, leader of opposition party
Popular Front, has had his Internet cut off and sporadic mobile
signal. In June, the Cabinet of Ministers rolled out a new requirement
for freelance and full time journalists, forcing them to register with
an e-permission platform. Media law expert Alasgar Ahmadoglu contested
this requirement, stressing that it is not legal without a state of
emergency.
Despite calls by international organisations to respect the country’s
obligations under international treaties, Baku is refusing to do so,
dismissing any reports of rights violations and the government’s role
in muzzling the opposition. And yet, there is ample evidence of a very
different Azerbaijan – the most recent protest of September 9th is a
testament to that.
