Rights defenders demand to stop criminal persecution of Ghilal Mamedov, editor-in-chief of Azerbaijani newspaper

On June 28, the Independent Press Centre in Moscow is to host the press conference of the Committee "Civil Assistance", dedicated to the prosecution of the Talysh people in Azerbaijan and the arrest of Ghilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani newspaper "Tolyshy Sado" (Voice of Talysh). Russian and Azerbaijani human rights defenders believe that the criminal case against Ghilal Mamedov was fabricated.

Relatives of Ghilal Mamedov claim that drugs were planted by investigators. According to Anar Gasymov, the lawyer of Ghilal Mamedov, during giving the testimony, his client claimed that he had been beaten at detention. Anar Gasymov has stated that the body of Ghilal Mamedov bears clearly visible bruises and sores.

Human rights defenders in Moscow to support Ghilal Mamedov

Russian and Azerbaijani human rights defenders believe that the case against Ghilal Mamedov was fabricated in connection with his public activities. This was stated by the message, sent by the Committee "Civil Assistance" and received by the "Caucasian Knot" edition office. On June 28, at 2:00 p.m., in the Independent Press Centre in Moscow, the Committee "Civil Assistance" will hold the press conference, dedicated to that issue.

The press conference will be attended by Svetlana Gannushkina, Chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance", Arif Kerimov, President of the Federal Lezgin National and Cultural Autonomy, Amil Sarkarov, Advisor to the President of the Federal Lezgin National and Cultural Autonomy, Fakhraddin Abbasov, the editor-in-chief of the Talysh newspaper "Shavnysht", and Mussa (Mais) Kurbanov, a political analyst.

According to Svetlana Gannushkina, her organization was addressed by Maryam Mamedova, the widow of Novruzali Mamedov, the founder of the Talysh Cultural Centre and the newspaper "Tolyshy Sado".

In her appeal, Maryam Mamedova states that "at present, in Azerbaijan, a new wave of repressions against Talysh intellectuals began."

"After the arrest of my husband Novruzali Mamedov, the founder of the Talysh Cultural Centre and the newspaper 'Tolyshy Sado', and the destruction of my family, being alone in a foreign country, I always think who's next? Of course, that was not any illiterate Talysh man from the street, but that was Ghilal Mamedov, the most courageous, resolute, who won the deep respect of people, the great teacher, family man and kind, sympathetic man," the appeal of Maryam Mamedova states.

According to her, the Azerbaijani authorities simply cannot accept the fact that "the Talysh intelligentsia, in the end, can achieve such development, when it will be able to resist the discriminatory policy, aimed at the complete destruction of the Talysh people."

Svetlana Gannushkina herself shares the opinion, expressed by Maryam Mamedova. "There is no doubt, and I am convinced that the case against Ghilal Mamedov was fabricated. The entire story of the Novruzali's family shows that there is planned fighting with not separatist, but cultural movement of the Talysh people. They want them to forget that they are Talysh people and that they cease to speak their language," Svetlana Gannushkina stated in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. She has emphasized that she knew Ghilal Mamedov as "a teetotaller, non-smoker, and, of course, not a drug addict."

According to the human rights defender, in that case, the cultural aspect of the issue is closely connected with the political one: persecution of the Talysh people indicates insufficient strength of the Azerbaijani government.

"Frontline Defenders" urges to take steps to ensure safety of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan

The organization for the defence of human rights defenders "Frontline Defenders" condemns persecution of Ghilal Mamedov and believes that the charges against him are directly related to his legitimate activity concerning human rights. This was declared by the statement, published on the website of the international organization.

The "Frontline Defenders" demands that Baku should immediately release Ghilal Mamedov and cancel all charges against him, to conduct immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the alleged physical abuse, to take urgent measures to ensure safety of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan, including the rights of Talysh and other minorities, and to create conditions for their normal activities.

"We are very concerned about the physical and psychological state of Ghilal Mamedov," also claims the statement of the "Frontline Defenders".

Rasul Djafarov: detention and arrest of Ghilal Mamedov is political order

Ghilal Mamedov believes that his arrest was connected with the interview on the TV Channel, dedicated to the resonant song (meikhana) "Who are you? Goodbye!" This was stated by Rasul Djafarov, the head of the "Club of Human Rights in Azerbaijan".

According to him, detention and arrest of Ghilal Mamedov is a political order. The human rights defender quoted words of the father of Ghilal Mamedov on the day of his son's arrest. "He said that when policemen were at his house, they said: 'Why don't you watch your son, who speaks against those who sit above him?'," the "Arguments and Facts" quotes Rasul Djafarov as saying.

In its turn, the analytical agency "Turan" reports that the version is noteworthy in the country, where top-ranking officials do not like amateurs when it comes to highlighting the life in Azerbaijan, especially in the central Russian TV Channels, without the consent of the Presidential Administration.

Rafiq Djalilov: Azerbaijani authorities hinder cultural revival of Talysh people

Rafiq Djalilov, the deputy head of the Talysh Cultural Centre, sees a cultural aspect in the conflict between the authorities and the Talysh people.

"The Talysh people are not oppressed, it is true; however, but our cultural revival is being hampered in every way. At present, there is no newspaper in the Talysh language. Poets, who write in the Talysh language, are often called to the Ministry of National Security and warned to be smart and not to write in their native language," the "Caucasian Knot" was told by Rafiq Djalilov.

Azerbaijani human rights defender Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), also treats the arrest of Ghilal Mamedov as political order.

"I know him for many years. Ghilal Mamedov has nothing in common with drugs, and he did not smoke and maintain a correct and healthy way of life," Leila Yunus stated in her interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The human rights defender says that she "predicted" the arrest of Ghilal Mamedov. "The Azerbaijani authorities' persecution of citizens, dealing with problems of national minorities, in the presence of the Karabakh conflict, represents a peak of thoughtlessness and lack of understanding of the situation," the human rights defender states.

According to her, the political repression in the country did not cease. "And if activists of democratic federal opposition and journalists of independent newspapers face criminal cases, fabricated against them under articles on hooliganism, drugs, disorderly conduct, and they are sentenced to 1-5 years of imprisonment, then human rights defenders and activists, defending the rights of national minorities and religious freedom, are sentenced by fabricated cases again, under articles on drugs, or weapons possession, or attempted coup d'etat, or terrorism to 5-15 years of imprisonment. The latter most often die of torture in prisons. That concerns Novruzali Mamedov," Leila Yunus has stressed.