Your trusted source

Ph.D Yadigar Turkel from the department of political sciences of the Institute of Philosophy and Law of Azerbaijan was dismissed became in the introduction to Aleksandr Shepotyev’s book dedicated to the conflicts in the South Caucasus, he wrote that Heydar Aliyev came to power in 1993 with a coup d'état, Meydan TV reports.

Turkel considers his dismissal illegal and intends to discuss that “lawlessness” in a press conference, as well as to sue it in the Yasamal district court in Baku.

The scholar said the director of the Institute of Philosophy and Law, Ilham Mammadzade, called the whole staff to a meeting on March 4 and said the topic of the discussion would be Turkel. “Moreover, he rose the question of withdrawing my doctoral diploma. My colleagues voted for that proposal,” he said as cited by Meydan TV. Turkel also added that Mammadzade had threatened him with a 12-year prison term for what he had written in Shepotyev’s book.

According to Meydan TV, Turkel confirms in the introduction to the book that “in 1993, Heydar Aliyev came to power with coup d'état, groundlessly changed the name of the Azerbaijani Turkic people and conducted an imperial policy.” In the published book, Yadigar Turkel completely exposes the change of the government that took place in Azerbaijan between 1992 and 1993, Abulfaz Elcibey’s dismissal from his post and Heydar Aliyev’s rise to power with a referendum as a nationwide leader. In addition, he characterises the events as a “coup d'état,” Meydan TV points out.

According to the book, Heydar Aliyev did not come to power as a result of a popular vote, trust and respect but exceptionally with the help of an armed government overthrow. As parliament speaker, before becoming the country’s president, he forced the parliament to adopt a bill, according to which Azerbaijan would renounce “Turkism” and adopt “Azerbaijanism.”

“Yes, I published such a book and I think I am right. If I lied, the future generations would accuse me of falsifications,” Turkel said.

Any criticism of Heydar Aliyev or publication of facts contradicting to the dominating propaganda are taken quite painfully in Azerbaijan. After the publication of the book “From Freedom to Tyranny: As if Stalin and Beria revived,” the authorities in Azerbaijan accused the author Turgut Er of libel and anti-Azerbaijani activities as he unmasks Heydar Aliyev’s two-faced government and proves that Aliyev’s actions were often conditioned by personal interests rather than the benefit of the state and people.