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Day: December 28, 2023
Political persecution in Azerbaijan
“This is punishment for political activity, opposition, criticizing the government in Azerbaijan”
Some opposition party members and activists in Azerbaijan say they have been discriminated against at various times because of their political activities. Students tell of warnings from university authorities, and workers of being fired.
Material from JAMnews partner Meydan TV:
“The director said he doesn’t need unnecessary problems.”
Aziz Mamiev has been a member of the Musavat party for more than eight years.
According to him, at the beginning of 2022 he worked in the restaurant industry. During that period he constantly received various threats to life and health in social networks, and appeals to the police yielded nothing. So on April 5, he decided to hold a solitary protest in front of the building of the Ministry of Interior. And the same evening he was informed that he was fired.
“I came home, and then my boss writes and says that from tomorrow I should not come to work. And justified it by the fact that I am engaged in political activity, and they do not need unnecessary problems,” Mamiev tells Meydan TV.
Aziz remained unemployed for several months, then managed to find another job outside the city. After a while, he took part in a rally in front of the Cabinet of Ministers demanding the opening of land borders. During this action he was detained and arrested. And when he was released from arrest, he was once again unemployed.
Political persecution in Azerbaijan
Photo: Aziz Mamiev
What does the law say?
According to Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, everyone has the right to work in safe and healthy conditions without any discrimination.
In addition, Article 16 of the Labor Code categorically prohibits in labor relations any discrimination among employees and restriction of their rights on the basis of political views.
Depending on the restrictions a worker is subjected to, certain legal steps can be taken, lawyer Fariz Namazli says.
“For example, if a worker believes he was fired for his political views, he must file a lawsuit in court within a month to cancel the dismissal order. He must also prove that the dismissal was politically motivated. In addition, if he, unlike other workers, is deprived of normal working conditions at his workplace, he can apply to the state labor inspectorate.”
Also, according to Namazli, if an employee believes that he or she has suffered material and moral damage, they have the right to demand compensation.
But in practice, things are different.
Political persecution in Azerbaijan
“The head of the executive authorities called me and said: ‘For God’s sake, don’t go to the rally’”
As a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) and chairperson of one of its district branches, Mehriban Huseynli faced the same problem.
A graduate of the Law Faculty of Baku State University, she worked as a letter carrier in Baku’s Zabrat settlement until 2013. In 2013, she joined the PPFA, after which she gradually began to face pressure at work.
Illustration: Meydan TV
“As soon as the rallies started, the executive authorities came to our post office. Police officers lined up at the door, waiting to detain me when I was about to go to the rally. The head of the executive branch called me in and said: “For God’s sake, don’t go to the rally, or they’ll give us hell. Why do you need it, he said, you work, so work. And I answered: “What does my work have to do with where I go? Do I do my job well? Any complaints about me? No.”
М. Huseynli says that this pressure kept increasing, and she was already sure that she would be fired.
“They started sending the same letters twenty times a day. And when you bring the same letter to the house many times, people get annoyed. So I didn’t deliver them. I told the head of the department that this plan was hatched against me. The inspection came back and asked me: “How many letters are left?” I showed them the rest. They said, “Why so many?” I said that these letters come every day, they have already been delivered, people are not satisfied. Why should I bother these people? They are already chasing me away from the doorstep. The inspection didn’t say anything else and left. A day later, I was fired for gross violation of labor function. At that time, most members of the Popular Front were fired under this article.”
Former political prisoners periodically suffer from the same problem.
Political persecution in Azerbaijan
Photo from Fuad Ahmedli’s personal archive
For example, Fuad Ahmedli, a member of the APFA, recognized by human rights activists as a political prisoner, has been unemployed for three years. Before his arrest, he worked for the cell phone operator Azerfon. But now he has been applying to local and international companies for vacancies in his specialization to no avail. And, in his opinion, the main reason is that he was arrested for political activity.
Two years ago, former Democracy1918 member and former political prisoner Dzhalil Zabidov held a protest in front of the Education Ministry for the same reasons. According to Zabidov, after his release he was unable to regain his previous job, and despite 13 years of teaching experience, to find a job at another school.
But political activists are not only harassed in the workplace. Young people face pressure in universities.
Political persecution in Azerbaijan
“They tried to pressure me through my family as well”
Farid Imanov is a fourth-year student at Baku Slavic University. He is engaged in civil and political activism and for some time was the chairman of the organization “Student Power Center”.
Farid says that because of these activities, he himself and his family have been warned several times by the university administration.
Farid Imanov. Photo: Meydan TV
“I was summoned to the dean’s office and told that we know you as a good student, and it seems to us that it would be better if such active students as you, with great potential, would be of benefit to the university organizations, than to some people on the side who mess with your head and manipulate you. “They are cheating you,” “They won’t stand up for you,” – suggesting all sorts of things, the university authorities tried to dissuade me from my activities. And my parents were summoned to the university several times to hear: “Your son is doing such things, and it ends in prison and torture.” So they tried to pressure me through my family as well.”
During the same period, student-activist Rustam Ismailbeyli was also threatened with expulsion from the university for writing about student problems. Rustam said that he and his friends with the same political views were being subjected to additional difficulties in classes and exams, were not allowed into classrooms without CCTV cameras, and were kept under surveillance.
Aziz Mamiev is officially unemployed at the moment, and he gets by with occasional “freelance” jobs. Mehriban Huseynli does day labor in greenhouses. But despite all these hardships, they say they have no regrets about their political choice.
“Those who criticize government policies in this country are systematically discriminated against. The authorities and people have made people like themselves. So I do not take offense at people and have already come to terms with it. And I have never regretted my political activity. I have always told everyone about it, wherever I work. My protest will always be heard in the squares,” Mamiev says.
Mehriban Huseynli is of the same opinion:
“Seeing how much grief and torment the authorities bring to the people, I can’t afford not to fight for them.”
With the support of Mediaset
New Year spending woes
New Year’s preparations in Baku this year have not returned to pre-pandemic splendor. The decoration of the city is no longer as luxurious as in previous years. The number of New Year fairs is extremely limited. Apart from the traditional “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” fair in Fountain Square, there are mostly small stalls with Christmas trees and toys in the city center.
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When observing these stalls from the outside, one can see that often the dialogue between sellers and buyers does not go beyond finding out the price of the products.
“How much do these Santa Claus toys cost?” – asks a young girl.
“They are 25, 35 and 45 manat [about $15, 21, 26],” the seller replies.
“And these in a glass box?” – the girl is referring to the smaller souvenirs. Hearing roughly the same answer, she walks away.
Sellers complain about a lack of buyers, and buyers are not satisfied with high prices.
“The wages we receive are 300-400 manats, and most of that goes to debt and expenses. People are not in a festive mood. What should we celebrate? What kind of holiday when our pockets are empty?” – complains one city resident.
Independent experts believe that there is a sharp difference between market prices and the current minimum wage and median average wage. One of the reasons for this is high inflation.
The highest inflation rate in Azerbaijan in the last 14 years was recorded in 2022 at 13.9 percent. In 2023, the figure was 9.4 percent.
According to economist Farid Mehralizadeh, the inflation rates recorded in Azerbaijan are quite problematic.
“The government also confirms this with its documents. Because, I remember, in the Development Concept “Azerbaijan’s Vision for the Future”, the government set a task to raise the minimum wage to 60 percent of the average monthly wage by 2020. So this is considered a normal limit. But the government has so far failed to achieve this goal.
Currently, the average monthly wage in Azerbaijan is about 930 manats [about $547], and the minimum wage is 345 manats [about $203]. That is, it is equal to about 35 percent of the average wage. If the government were to realize this goal, today the minimum wage in the country would have to be more than 500 manats [about $300]. In addition, the high inflation that has been going on for the past two years has led to a decrease in the real purchasing power of the population,” the expert says.
Mehralizadeh notes that wages are at such a low level due to the underdevelopment of the country’s economy. Such reasons include the provision of budget revenues mainly from the oil and gas sector, limited large companies and investments in the country.
Workplaces usually pay workers’ salaries earlier on New Year’s Eve, a move that takes into account pre-holiday expenses. Most people we talked to don’t know how to live until their next paycheck after the holidays.
“I got my paycheck a few days ago, and more than half of it has already been spent. Most of the money went to food and utilities. Also on the eve of the holiday, I thought, I’ll take the kids and go to the city, sit and eat as a family somewhere. Now, with the money we have left on hand, we shouldn’t even have guests over. Otherwise we will have to go into debt to pay at least the cost of public transportation until the next paycheck,” says another resident.
The expert says the result will not change regardless of which day the wages are paid:
“It makes sense to pay wages before the holiday. But I agree that sometimes it causes problems. There are a lot of needs. And many people’s salaries and pensions are so low that they run out of money as soon as they get it. Because they have debts to pay off. From this point of view, salaries will be spent quickly no matter when they are received.”
Many Baku residents say they will celebrate the New Year by spending their last paycheck of the year on a festive dinner.