The recent arrests, the state of human rights in the country, and the reactions of international organizations and the West to what is happening in Azerbaijan were discussed in the program "Complex Question" by Samira Gasimli, a political psychologist and the wife of political scientist Azer Gasimli, director of the Institute of Political Management.
According to Samira Gasimli, since the beginning of the new wave of arrests, Azer Gasimli and several other politicians have noted that this wave differs from previous ones. For instance, it is distinct from the 2014 arrests, when the "Meydan TV" website was blocked, Radio Liberty's activities were suspended, and non-governmental and youth organizations were dismantled.
Gasimli highlighted that alongside the crackdown on NGOs and independent media, there was a simultaneous destruction of the institutional foundations of civil society.
"Reactionary changes were introduced to laws on 'Taxes,' 'Media,' 'Political Parties,' and others. All of this led to increased isolation of the country. However, at that time, the aim of the arrests was to use political prisoners as bargaining chips with the West to achieve certain concessions," she explained.
According to the expert, Azer Gasimli referred to the new wave of arrests that began in 2023 as "geopolitical arrests."
"What do geopolitical arrests mean? This signifies that the Azerbaijani authorities, amid ongoing global geopolitical processes and a world divided into two camps, have made their choice in favor of the authoritarian coalition, which includes SCO and BRICS countries, and are moving in this direction," she asserted.
Gasimli believes that with the fall of Putin's regime in Russia, the authoritarian coalition will crumble to dust, paving the way for the collapse of other dictatorships, similar to what happened with Assad's regime in Syria.
Difficult question
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