Your trusted source

Azerbaijani oppositional newspaper "Yeni Musavat" published a scandalous analytical article “Two serious mistakes of authorities made in Eylisli’s case”, which within a few hours provoked a new resonance and was removed from the website of the newspaper.

“Can Eylisli live in Azerbaijan under such psychological pressure, safely walk in the city or drive to his native town Eylis?,” the newspaper says and notes that the authorities have put themselves and their people in a problematic situation in front of the world community and Armenians by their propaganda.

It is noted that in Eylisli’s case the Azerbaijani authorities had made two serious mistakes. Firstly, the government was to have the writer up on the mat and explain the fallacy of his disposition. “The government was to persuade the writer in a harsh manner to refuse his own work. It’s strange how could a “creative person" with such a malicious mindset be able to stay out of the attention of the state.” This is the power that controls even the personal records of the oppositionists. This is the major fault of the authorities in “Aylisli’s” case,” the newspaper said.

Secondly, the article notes that the second serious mistake of the authorities was that they didn’t inflate the theme of malicious novelist being mentally ill. "The government was to act logically and to establish an independent medical commission in order to create a view on Eylisli’s mental condition… May be it’s not that late yet…” the newspaper writes, hinting at the necessity of giving Ekrem Eylisli certificates of being mentally incompetent.

In this regard, the newspaper Bizim Yol notes that the article has been removed from the site on the same day and chief editor Rauf Arifoglu said that it does not reflect the views of the editorial. The newspaper quotes writer Seymour Baijan, who has commented on the scandal about the article in Yeni Musavat.

“In fact, the campaign against Eylisli didn’t start with of his novel “Stone Dreams”, but because of his book “The Great jam.”
Some say that the persecution began to draw the attentions. The others say that it is all done for the presenting the Azerbaijanis barbarians in the international arena, who burn books, cut ears of the writers. In this very way they want to show that “this people do not need democracy,” but a “strong hand.” Everything is possible. As for the article of “Yeni Musavat”, it turns out that a commission may be formed because of any unfavorable article, declare man insane and close the issue,” the writer stated.
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 the literature of Azerbaijan. 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. The novel “Stone Dreams” also contains criticism over the former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and the tyranny of the system created by him.

After publication of the novel, Eylisli was exposed to severe pressures in Azerbaijan; the pro-governmental youth held rally in front of his house, 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. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev deprived him of personal pension and the title of National Writer, and accused him of “purposefully distorting the history of Azerbaijan” and “in distorting realities about history of Azerbaijan in an inappropriate way.”

The leader of the pro-governmental party ”Modern Musavat” Hafis Hajiyev announced that he would pay about 10 Euros to the one who will cut the ear of the writer. Only after the intervention of the media, the politician was “warned” by the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan about the illegality of such appeals.

The U.S. Department of State and the OSCE Office in Baku condemned persecution of Eylisli in Azerbaijan and called on the authorities to fulfill their obligations.