Azerbaijan: 'Revolution' in a Lebanese restaurant

Well, I have to admit - the Azeri media have always fascinated me.

Tell me, how can't you be fascinated when you read that 'Judeo-Masons assasinated Azeri Air Force Chief' or 'Guantanamo has moved to Azerbaijan'? Or the Sheikh-ul-Islam (Chief Clergyman) of Azerbaijan keeps a 9-meter long Nile crocodiles, the longest ever specimen of which was just 6.5 meters in length?

Now, the New Musavat, a newspaper that mostly authors these chef d'oeuvres, the last bastion of independent media and free speech in the world, a main 'oppositional media' in Azerbaijan, which is edited by a party fellow of recently beaten and arrested youth activist Adnan's father, thus, expected to advocate Adnan and Emin's case, instead, comes up with something more brilliant - U.S. had been preparing an orange revolution in Azerbaijan!

According to a front page article published by New Musavat, US and all other Western countries including Liechtenstein were planning a new 'Orange Revolution' in Azerbaijan, and its main driving force would be the country's youth and all youth organizations and movements. The 'Revolution' would be headed by Emin and Adnan; funded by George Soros; supported by all traditional opposition parties, International and local NGOs. The participants of this 'Revolution' would possess such huge propaganda mechanisms as Radio Azadliq, VOA, and BBC, while the US have already set up a special online tool to make their coordination easy - Facebook. Whole Azeri blogosphere would also be the part of this enormous 'fifth column'.

Though, New Musavat falls short from revealing that this 'Revolution' was masterminded by the secret Judeo-Masonic society which rules whole world, except Azerbaijan. Thus, here comes the reason of this revolution - Freemasons can't tolerate this only independent state left on the Earth.

Another thing which New Musavat fails to mention is that the venue of all this enterprise was a Lebanese restaurant in downtown Baku, where thanks to two brave patriotic guys, the 'Revolution' was averted.

Comrades, no pasaran!

According to a letter delivered through US-educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association listserves, the aforementioned organisation was preparing a letter-appeal to the President of Azerbaijan for release of Adnan Hajizada and by the way, Emin Milli. However, according to the newest letter circulated yesterday through the same listserves, the association has decided to back down and drop the initiative.

Therefore, I would like to extend my remarks to the US-educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association and its board members for a successful defense of their member and for their great achievement, and I would like also to wish them more successes in this direction.

All Hail Comrades, No Pasaran!

Please help to spread the word!

People! Help to spread the word - two civil society activists, citizen journalists, youth movement leaders in Azerbaijan - Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada are jailed for two months on false charges and undue process, before they'll stand for final trial which can result in their imprisonment up to two and half years.

http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/alisnovruzov/2009/07/civil-society-and-youth-activists-beaten-and-detained-in-downtown-baku.html

http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/alisnovruzov/2009/07/beaten-youth-activists-to-stand-trial-for-hooliganism.html

http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/alisnovruzov/2009/07/beaten-activists-sentenced-for-two-months-while-investigation-goes-on.html

For German speakers:

http://derstandard.at/fs/1246541959526/Junge-Buergerrechtler-verpruegelt-dann-verhaftet

For French speakers:

http://fr.globalvoicesonline.org/2009/07/09/14463/

Honour to those who in the life they lead

Previously beaten and detained civil society and youth activists - Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada are to stand trial today on hooliganism charges.

Read my new Frontline Club post to learn details.

But here and now, I would like to re-post Constantin Cavafy's immortal Thermopylae in honour of Emin and Adnan. I know that neither of them can read this post yet, but let's hope, pray, struggle and believe that tomorrow they can!

Thermopylae

Honor to those who in the life they lead
define and guard a Thermopylae.
Never betraying what is right,
consistent and just in all they do
but showing pity also, and compassion;
generous when they are rich, and when they are poor,
still generous in small ways,
still helping as much as they can;
always speaking the truth,
yet without hating those who lie.

And even more honor is due to them
when they foresee (as many do foresee)
that in the end Ephialtis will make his appearance,
that the Medes will break through after all.

Azerbaijan: Two youth activists beaten and detained for 48 hours

Emin Milli, one of the founders of AN Network, a grassroots youth movement and Adnan Hadji-zadeh, a video-blogger from OL! Youth Movement have been attacked by plainclothes while dining with a group of other civil society and youth activists in a restaurant in downtown Baku.

After being severely beaten, Emin and Adnan applied for medical expertise and police assistance and according to witnesses, both of the perpetrators have also been detained. However, with perpetrators later released, Adnan and Emin became the main suspects. Refused a meeting with their lawyer, they were transferred to Khatai District Temporary Detention Center handcuffed.

They can be kept there up to 48 hour with a possible trial afterwards. They are accused of hooliganism. Emin has several injuries, as well as a cut in his leg, while Adnan's nose is broken.

How a Russian granny found me

... and how we lose them...

I used to be a spoiled child. I was the first son of the last son, and bore my deceased grandfather's name. I had a loving mother and father; loving grannies; a loving maternal grandfather; eleven loving aunts and four loving uncles; plenty of cousins and plenty of toys that I kept in huge wooden Indian tea boxes. But I was unhappy, because I had to go to kindergarten since I could walk. For three and half years that I went to kindergarten, I cried every day, and once - even unsuccessfully escaped. This story is about that escape of mine.

I hardly remember anything - only that I am in a side street and a Russian granny approaches me and asks something. I even don't remember the question. However, what I am told is fairly dramatic.

Being a small boy who could hardly speak yet, once I somehow managed to escape from the kindergarten. I crossed the roads and "headed towards home". And in one side street a Russian granny noticed me - a small boy under five walking alone. And she approached me and asked where is my parents. I don't know what I answered her, but she took me and visited all nearby kindergartens in my neighbourhood. At last, she managed to find my kindergarten and left me there.

I don't know who she was, what was her name, whether she is alive or deceased long time ago. I just remember a thin, small and blond silhouette in a headscarf. A typical babulya, Russian granny.

And now, imagine Baku nowadays. Most of its young and adult Russian population have left the city leaving behind a huge population of Russian grannies. Alcohol has mowed Russian grandpas' population long ago. It was terrible, but fast. However, demise of Russian grannies is a tragedy - it is terrible and slow. Left jobless, homeless and without families, these grannies are starving, deprived of normal sleep and life, compelled to beg for their daily bread. They are dying one by one, seeing each others' death, feeling its approach, waking up to a day as if it is theirs last.

I can't describe what I feel when I meet a Russian granny in the street.

The day I was most afraid of!

Oh, no! There came the day I was most afraid of! But before, let me explain what I am talking about. It is the Azeri alphabet. Rather, Azeri alphabets.

Being under strong Arabic and Persian influence, for centuries the Azeri language has developed its own unique alphabet based on Arabic script. It started with poetry by Naseer of Baku (XIV century), and still continues with around 25 million Iranian Azeris' daily usage of it.

However back in 1920s, local intellectuals with the help of Soviet Authorities diverted alphabet for literary (Northern) Azeri language from an Arabic to a Latin script. What was hailed then as a progressive measure to modernize the language and educate illiterate masses, turned into a huge gap between Northern Azeris and their Iranian brethren, while deprived the former from their 5-century-old literary heritage.

After Ataturk also decided to switch Turkish from Arabic to Latin script, 1930s saw an abrupt overhaul with literary Azeri switching from Latin to Cyrillic script. Beware of any Turkish influences in Azerbaijan, the Soviet Authorities decided that the Cyrillic script would be the best bond for the friendship of Soviet nationalities.

1950s saw a major reformation of Cyrillic Azeri, but history showed that all these culture shakes weren't over yet!

In 1990s, after Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union, it once again switched to Latin script (a new version based on Turkish) with two later enhancements. What was seen as a progressive move, it once again failed to be analyzed as a potential deprivation of our cultural heritage. From 1930s to 1990s, Azerbaijani writers and scientists have created an immense literary heritage - starting from philosophy and linguistics to physics and space sciences. And, then, with one move, we have deprived our future generations from accessing it.

And there came the day I was most afraid of! I met a young Azeri who couldn't read Cyrillic script of his native tongue. No portion of it, and for him, it was pretty normal.

This is the way how great disasters settle among us, and ruin our house while we sleep.