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>From `Stone Dreams' to nightmare: The disgraced author sympathetic to
Armenians intends to leave Azerbaijan
http://armenianow.com/society/features/44046/akram_aylisli_stone_dreams_armenia_azeri_relations
FEATURES | 01.03.13 | 15:35
Photo: theworld.org
By JULIA HAKOBYAN
ArmeniaNow Deputy Editor
The scandalous novel by the Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli on
Armenian-Azerbaijani relations will likely cost the 75 -year -old
writer not only deprivation of the presidential awards and pension,
but will cause him to leave his motherland. Azeri mass media reported
on Thursday on the writer's intention to leave the country for Turkey,
urged out of fear for his life and safety of his family.
`My works are not published, plays are not performed. My future life
here is impossible. I made the decision to leave the homeland and move
to brotherly Turkey,' Azerbaijani media quoted Aylisli's interview to
the Turkish newspaper.
Aylisli's `Stone Dreams", novel tells the story of two Azerbaijani men
who try to protect their Armenian neighbors during the Sumgait and
Baku pogroms in the closing years of the Soviet Union. (The novel also
includes a description of violence by ethnic Azeris against Armenians
during the 1920s.)
The novel, describing the cruelty of Azerbaijanis against Armenians
provoked public anger and numerous threats in Azerbaijan, soon after
it was published in `People's Friendship' magazine last December.
Protest actions were held in several Azerbaijani cities demanding
Aylisli's exile from the country; writer's books were burned, while
the pro-government "Yeni Musavat' party has announced a reward of
$12,000 to anyone who `cuts off the writer's ear'. Aylisli's wife and
son were fired from their jobs; in addition, by the presidential
degree the writer was stripped of all government awards, including
`People's Writer' title and his monthly presidential pension of
$1,270.
Armenian and Turkish intellectuals, as well as U.S. State Department,
OSCE office in Baku and other organizations have issued statements,
condemning harassment toward writer and urging Baku authorities to
stop the persecution campaign. Human Right Watch, in particular, said
that the government of Azerbaijan is making a mockery of its
international obligations on freedom of expression. `This is shocking,
particularly after Azerbaijani officials flocked to Strasbourg last
month to tout the government's human rights record at the Council of
Europe."
Aylisli, meanwhile, accused Azerbaijani intellectuals of cowardice and
indifference to the public debate about his novel.
"They have always supported my position. However, they cannot openly
express their opinions because they get salary from the state. The
free thinking part of the society is openly on my side. Even a group
of writers from Turkey supported me. But not one politician in
Azerbaijan has called me, `Aylisli said to haqqin.az.
The writer said that that the purpose of the novel was to send a
message to Armenians, in particular, to the Armenians living in
Nagorno Karabakh, that Azerbaijani people see their mistakes and see
what they did not want to do, but had to do .
"Time has not yet completely separated us, let us look together at our
living together," says the writer, adding that now it is the turn of
Armenian writers for an objective recognition of mistakes that led to
a major war, which brought misery and suffering to both peoples.
"I now call on the Armenian writers to tell the truth about the
Khojaly genocide and other mass murders. Do not blame the people for
the wars. Those are guilty who use wars to enrich themselves,' Aylisli
said.
Armenian expert on geopolitics of the South Caucasus, Anjela
Elibegova, believes that the purposeful hatred toward the author is
partly conditioned by the Azeri's "wag the dog" policy, as the
"Armenian thematic is a zero risk action for the government of
Azerbaijan to divert attention from the really serious problems in the
country.'
"The novel was published in December's issue of the magazine but it
caused wide public resonance in Azerbaijan, just soon after the
situation in the country exacerbated because of the unrest in the
Ismailli. (An Azeri district, where in January, there were clashes
between protesting residents and police during which the protestors
burned one of the outbuildings in the yard of the chief executive of
the district and his car).
Elibegova said that today in Azerbaijan they don't speak about the
Ismailli ongoing unrest, or on `Gyulyargeyt", (the scandalous video on
how MP Gyular Akhmetova asks a $ 1 million from the dean of the
University for being elected an MP), non combat deaths in army, or on
other acute problems that only couple of weeks ago concerned the
public.
Elibegova says the novel also provoked fury and criticism because it
presented the "National leader" Heydar Aliyev (the father of the
acting president Ilham Aliev) in unflattering light and contained
accusation of organizing the Armenian massacres.
`The fact that the ruling clan never forgave this impertinence is
openly discussed in Azerbaijani mass media. Nakhijevan clan
representatives of the ruling elite resented most of all, as Agulis (
Nakhichevan) massacre of 1919, is a problem first of all for them.'
Thomas de Waal of the Carnegie Endowment, said publication of the
novel is a brave act by Aylisli but unfortunately, instead of
encouraging Aylisli as a brave citizen, Azerbaijani government
subjected him to pressures, burnt his books, which is regrettable.
`The Azerbaijani government likes to talk about peace, he even recalls
how peacefully thousands of Armenians lived in Baku. Unfortunately,
the pressure on the writer who bravely comments on the conflict,
brings another impression of delivering a diverse message,' said de
Waal, the Karabakh conflict researcher in an interview with the
Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty. `This speaks about the fact that
the Azerbaijani society is not ready to analyze history and problems.
And the most important thing is that it is a characteristic phenomenon
for two sides of the conflict both the Azerbaijani and the Armenian
society. "
Armenians intends to leave Azerbaijan
http://armenianow.com/society/features/44046/akram_aylisli_stone_dreams_armenia_azeri_relations
FEATURES | 01.03.13 | 15:35
Photo: theworld.org
By JULIA HAKOBYAN
ArmeniaNow Deputy Editor
The scandalous novel by the Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli on
Armenian-Azerbaijani relations will likely cost the 75 -year -old
writer not only deprivation of the presidential awards and pension,
but will cause him to leave his motherland. Azeri mass media reported
on Thursday on the writer's intention to leave the country for Turkey,
urged out of fear for his life and safety of his family.
`My works are not published, plays are not performed. My future life
here is impossible. I made the decision to leave the homeland and move
to brotherly Turkey,' Azerbaijani media quoted Aylisli's interview to
the Turkish newspaper.
Aylisli's `Stone Dreams", novel tells the story of two Azerbaijani men
who try to protect their Armenian neighbors during the Sumgait and
Baku pogroms in the closing years of the Soviet Union. (The novel also
includes a description of violence by ethnic Azeris against Armenians
during the 1920s.)
The novel, describing the cruelty of Azerbaijanis against Armenians
provoked public anger and numerous threats in Azerbaijan, soon after
it was published in `People's Friendship' magazine last December.
Protest actions were held in several Azerbaijani cities demanding
Aylisli's exile from the country; writer's books were burned, while
the pro-government "Yeni Musavat' party has announced a reward of
$12,000 to anyone who `cuts off the writer's ear'. Aylisli's wife and
son were fired from their jobs; in addition, by the presidential
degree the writer was stripped of all government awards, including
`People's Writer' title and his monthly presidential pension of
$1,270.
Armenian and Turkish intellectuals, as well as U.S. State Department,
OSCE office in Baku and other organizations have issued statements,
condemning harassment toward writer and urging Baku authorities to
stop the persecution campaign. Human Right Watch, in particular, said
that the government of Azerbaijan is making a mockery of its
international obligations on freedom of expression. `This is shocking,
particularly after Azerbaijani officials flocked to Strasbourg last
month to tout the government's human rights record at the Council of
Europe."
Aylisli, meanwhile, accused Azerbaijani intellectuals of cowardice and
indifference to the public debate about his novel.
"They have always supported my position. However, they cannot openly
express their opinions because they get salary from the state. The
free thinking part of the society is openly on my side. Even a group
of writers from Turkey supported me. But not one politician in
Azerbaijan has called me, `Aylisli said to haqqin.az.
The writer said that that the purpose of the novel was to send a
message to Armenians, in particular, to the Armenians living in
Nagorno Karabakh, that Azerbaijani people see their mistakes and see
what they did not want to do, but had to do .
"Time has not yet completely separated us, let us look together at our
living together," says the writer, adding that now it is the turn of
Armenian writers for an objective recognition of mistakes that led to
a major war, which brought misery and suffering to both peoples.
"I now call on the Armenian writers to tell the truth about the
Khojaly genocide and other mass murders. Do not blame the people for
the wars. Those are guilty who use wars to enrich themselves,' Aylisli
said.
Armenian expert on geopolitics of the South Caucasus, Anjela
Elibegova, believes that the purposeful hatred toward the author is
partly conditioned by the Azeri's "wag the dog" policy, as the
"Armenian thematic is a zero risk action for the government of
Azerbaijan to divert attention from the really serious problems in the
country.'
"The novel was published in December's issue of the magazine but it
caused wide public resonance in Azerbaijan, just soon after the
situation in the country exacerbated because of the unrest in the
Ismailli. (An Azeri district, where in January, there were clashes
between protesting residents and police during which the protestors
burned one of the outbuildings in the yard of the chief executive of
the district and his car).
Elibegova said that today in Azerbaijan they don't speak about the
Ismailli ongoing unrest, or on `Gyulyargeyt", (the scandalous video on
how MP Gyular Akhmetova asks a $ 1 million from the dean of the
University for being elected an MP), non combat deaths in army, or on
other acute problems that only couple of weeks ago concerned the
public.
Elibegova says the novel also provoked fury and criticism because it
presented the "National leader" Heydar Aliyev (the father of the
acting president Ilham Aliev) in unflattering light and contained
accusation of organizing the Armenian massacres.
`The fact that the ruling clan never forgave this impertinence is
openly discussed in Azerbaijani mass media. Nakhijevan clan
representatives of the ruling elite resented most of all, as Agulis (
Nakhichevan) massacre of 1919, is a problem first of all for them.'
Thomas de Waal of the Carnegie Endowment, said publication of the
novel is a brave act by Aylisli but unfortunately, instead of
encouraging Aylisli as a brave citizen, Azerbaijani government
subjected him to pressures, burnt his books, which is regrettable.
`The Azerbaijani government likes to talk about peace, he even recalls
how peacefully thousands of Armenians lived in Baku. Unfortunately,
the pressure on the writer who bravely comments on the conflict,
brings another impression of delivering a diverse message,' said de
Waal, the Karabakh conflict researcher in an interview with the
Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty. `This speaks about the fact that
the Azerbaijani society is not ready to analyze history and problems.
And the most important thing is that it is a characteristic phenomenon
for two sides of the conflict both the Azerbaijani and the Armenian
society. "