Azerbaijan is only a country of laws when it comes to members of the opposition. For members of the government, the law never really seems to apply. For example, we have seen the injustice of nepotism when the son of a high-ranking government official causes a fatal car crash, but is never subsequently prosecuted. Then the matter just seems to disappear like mist on a summer’s morning. Alternatively, in a worst-case scenario, justice becomes incredibly lenient with the perpetrator being sentenced to a mere one year and then only serving half that time for “good behavior.”
In stark contrast, we have another situation when key opposition figure Oktay Gulaliyev was viciously assaulted, in a hit and run, and has been bed-bound for the last year as a result. Truly appalling and a perfect snap-shot of the injustice that Azerbaijan presently languishes under. The driver of that vehicle, a suspected government agent, received a derisory ten days in jail for driving without caution.
Another example? We have the case of Tofig Yagublu – a man of the highest integrity, mental fortitude, impeccable credentials and highly thought of in the Azerbaijani opposition. In every conceivable situation, he has been subject to a custodial sentence. He was falsely accused of agitating for a coup and also unjustly detained for having the “audacity” of attending his own rallies against the government. Yagublu has never once stopped in his objective criticism of the government that is increasingly looking like a dictatorship under President Aliyev.
Yagublu’s harrowing story does not stop there either. While he was in jail, his youngest daughter, Nargis Yagabulu (also a prominent political activist) passed away. His oldest daughter Nigar Hezi was sentenced to two and a half years of jail time, simply because of her political views. As if that wasn’t enough to bear, his son-in-law, Seymur Hezi was also imprisoned for five years, on a false accusation, simply because of his political activism.
The entire family has been tirelessly fighting for freedom of speech, democracy and human rights. Despite all of the burden, Tofig Yagubulu has never given up. Not once has he asked Aliyev for a pardon, despite his time in prison having cost him in terms of his health and other personal issues.
Right after being released from six years in prison, Tofig Yagublu was again arrested and detained for 30 days for simply participating in an anti-government rally in February 2020. We know why though – as part of that protest, he had raised his voice in opposition to the vote-rigging for the national parliament.
As if that wasn’t enough injustice, there is, unbelievably, more. Yagublu was also arrested on the basis of further trumped up charges. In this case, Yagublu was simply parked at the front of a shopping center. Another car then hit his car and, bizarrely, alleged that Yagublu had hit his car and then assaulted the driver and his wife! Tellingly, the driver of the car that hit Yagublu had been trained by the government’s “special people” so as to manufacture an incident that would send him back to jail. Right after that, Yagublu was sentenced to another four and a half years in a maximum-security prison. Compare that sentence for a fabricated car accident compared to the Yagublu’s assailant, who killed two people, and received an almost laughably short jail sentence. This is totally crazy and utterly unacceptable!
09.16.2020
Namig Aghayev (KING)
Long Island U.S.
