SOLDIER’S DEATH TRIGGERS PROTESTS IN BAKU
The death of an 18-year-old conscript caused thousands of Azerbaijanis to gather in downtown Baku to protest against increasing mistreatment in the army. It was the first massive rally initiated by youth activists through social networks in 2013, a year of presidential elections in Azerbaijan.
Jeyhun Gubadov had served only three months in the army, and his death on January 7 caused an outcry in Azerbaijani society when his family provided photos of his body to the media. Army officials initially said that Gubadov unexpectedly died of a heart attack, but the photos showed evidence of violence. Only after the photos were published, the authorities launched an investigation.
Meanwhile, the photos of Gubadov and his mother’s assertion that “my son was beaten to death, help me punish the culprits” were disseminated on the social networks Facebook and Twitter. The activists posted the call on Facebook on January 10. In addition, they started collecting signatures for an online petition addressed to President Ilham Aliyev, urging him to fire the Minister of Defense and address the situation army conscripts are facing.
On January 12, youth activists, relatives of dead conscripts, journalists and members of the public, forming a crowd estimated to 2,000-3,000 gathered at Fountain Square to increase public awareness of mistreatment in the army. People took part in the rally despite recent amendments in the legislation designed to prevent people from attending unauthorized demonstrations.
Before the amendments to the current law were passed on November 2, the maximum fine was 7-13 manats, the equivalent of US$ 9-16. As a result of the changes, anyone attending an “unsanctioned protest” will face fines of 500-1,100 manats, or up to US$ 1,400. The organizers of such events will be fined between 1,500 and 3,000 manats, or twice that amount if they hold a formal position like the leadership of a political party.
Media reported that Gubadov’s family members were warned by police not to attend the rally. However, people came to the square with photos of Gubadov and other parents bringing photos of their young soldiers whom they claim had died as a result of hazing chanted slogans such as “Martyrs do not die! The country will not be divided!” and “Our soldiers should not die, our army should not turn into a morgue!”
According to Doktrina, a research centre on defense issues, of the 77 non-combat deaths in the military over the last year, 19 resulted from suicides, 16 from car crashes, 14 from illness, 11 “while breaking the law,” and 8 from unspecified accidents, while one was unexplained. About 20 were killed as a result of shootings along the frontline between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Before the rally, the organizers announced that it would not be political or display political slogans and urged participants not to react any provocation orchestrated by the authorities.
The police did not interfere at first, but later demanded that the protesters disperse saying that the rally was unauthorized and started to remove people from the square. About one hundred protesters were detained, though official statistics provide dramatically lower numbers. The deputy chief of the Baku Police Main Department told ANS TV that about 350-400 people participated in the rally and that 50 participants in the rally have been detained by police for violating the public order.
On January 14, 22 of the participants were fined amounts ranging between 300 and 600 manats. Youth activists decided to pay the combined sum of 10,500 manats, worth over US$ 13,000, in five-gepik (4 cent) coins. Money was donated, among others, by vendors of the Bina trade center, one of the Baku’s largest malls. Following a Facebook post about their support for the campaign, rental fees for shops were immediately increased.
On January 19, market vendors blocked a major road to Baku in a protest against the increase in rental fees imposed by the owners of their trading center. Footage by Azadliq Radio showed special riot police firing tear gas into large crowds occupying a rock-strewn highway about 15 kilometers outside Baku. One participant stated that “We want help. We want the government to listen to us. They are demanding that we pay an additional 250 manat (US$ 320) in rent. That is very expensive, more than in other places.”
A video distributed on Facebook shows that people were injured by police truncheons and police said at least 30 people were detained. “Participants in the incident did not heed warnings to desist from their action aimed at disrupting public order. They resisted police and resorted to actions perilous to life and health,” prosecutors and police said in a joint statement.
Later on Saturday, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, a youth leader and the initiator of the money-collection campaign, posted a statement that 10,000 manats had been collected over 5 days and stated “Our force is in our unity!” The campaign will continue until the last 500 manats have been collected.
Following the rally against mistreatment in the army, President Aliyev said that this year’s defense budget will rise to US$ 3.7 billion, up from US$ 3 billion last year. However, experts said that this budget is mostly spent on equipment and does not affect the quality of military service. In response to these remarks Aliyev stated, “As in any field, the army may also have errors and shortcomings. But the most important thing is that these mistakes and shortcomings are identified in a timely manner and the government is taking serious measures.”
