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Deprived of personal pension of the President of Azerbaijan and the honorary title of “National Writer” the Azerbaijani writer, author of the novel “Stone Dreams” Ekrem Eylisly appealed to foreign diplomatic missions in that country with a call to read his work because of which he is being subjected to harassment by the authorities of the country, Azerbaijani news agency “Turan” reports.

“For more than two weeks, the subsidiary media of Azerbaijani authorities hold a moral terror campaign against me because of my novel “Stone Dreams”. Uncoordinated mass actions are being held in front of my house, my books are being burnt, an unjust pressure is being put on my family members,” Eylisli’s statement reads.

According to Eylisli this is an unprecedented event in the social life of Azerbaijan during the last 100 years and he has no doubt that it is being carried out by the authorities. “I consider this as an unprecedented example of intolerance towards freedom of speech and expression by the power-holding structures,” Eylisli notes.

In this connection, the writer refers to the foreign diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan – Embassies of U.S., UK, Germany, France, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium and other countries, as well as to the EU, the OSCE and the Council of Europe and asks to read his novel and to express their attitude towards it.

Ekrem Eylisli is national writer (since 1998) and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, holder of the highest order of Azerbaijan “Istiglal” (2002) and the order of “Shokhrat” for his outstanding merits in Azerbaijani literature. Recently, on the website of Russian magazine “Friendship of Nations” was published his novel titled “Stone Dreams” in which the author describes the massacres of Armenians in Baku in 1990 and in Nakhichevan in 1919. The author in his novel speaks positively about the Armenian people and their culture.

After the publication of the novel, Eylisli was exposed to severe pressures in Azerbaijan; the pro-governmental youth held rally next his home, his issue was discussed in the parliament of Azerbaijan, MPs suggested to burn his books and to deprive him of citizenship and deport from Azerbaijan. Many people “blamed” Eylisli in his Armenian origin, etc.