On May 28 Azerbaijan celebrates Republic Day. Azerbaijan People’s Republic - the first republic in the Muslim world - was proclaimed on this day 96 years ago. The Republic Day is an official state holiday and a day off.
The Independence of Azerbaijan and other Caucasian republics became possible after the end of World War I and a political situation that weakened the Russian empire. However the Russian empire has caused serious confrontation between the nations of the region to prevent them uniting.
Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence after the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic on May 26, 1918 caused by confrontations between Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani factions in the Transcaucasian parliament. On May 26 Georgian Deputies dropped out of the Federation and proclaimed independence of Georgia and on May 27 members of the Muslim faction of the Transcaucasian parliament decided to proclaim independence of Azerbaijan and announced themselves the Interim National Council of Azerbaijan. At that session Mamed Emin Rasulzada was elected chairman of the National Council of Azerbaijan.
The Independence Declaration was adopted on May 28, 1918. The Declaration announced creation of the democratic parliament republic in Azerbaijan and it said that all nations living in Azerbaijan have sovereign rights and Azerbaijan is an independence state.
The National Council operated in Tbilisi for 18 days and then moved to Ganja. At that time Baku was controlled by the Baku commune led by Stepan Shaumian. In September 1918 the Azerbaijan People’s Republic government moved to Baku after the liberation of Baku from the Menshevik government “Dictatorship of Central Caspian” by the Caucasian Turkish Islamic army.
Azerbaijan People’s Republic guaranteed rights and freedoms of all citizens, irrespective of their nationality and religion. For the first time in the Muslim world women had electoral rights and the Republic was recognized at the Versailles World Conference.
During 23 months Azerbaijan People’s Republic’s government adopted several laws, implemented political, military, legal and economic reforms and created the first university.
Even after Azerbaijan’s occupation by the bolshevist Russia, Azerbaijan’s statehood was preserved. The first Azerbaijan Democratic republic collapsed on April 28, 1920 as a result of invasion of the Red Army. Azerbaijan gained independence after the USSR collapse in 1991 and announced itself a successor of Azerbaijan People’s Republic.-0-
Politics
-
On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals reviewed the appeal of human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who contested the extension of his detention. Mammadli's lawyer, Javad Javadov, stated that Mammadli argued the extension of his pre-trial detention was unfounded and linked the criminal prosecution to his human rights activities, Turan reported.
-
On November 26, a group of reserve officers from the Nakhchivan special forces held a protest near the Azerbaijani presidential administration. The protesters participated in the 44-day war and were discharged after sustaining injuries. They claim that the payments they are entitled to have not been provided.
-
On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals heard a complaint regarding the extension of the detention of former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov. During the hearing, the investigator requested that the complaint be rejected, while Ibrahimov's lawyer, Aghil Laidj, pointed out the lack of grounds for keeping Ibrahimov in custody.
-
Arrested economist Fazil Gasimov has reportedly faced pressure after protesting the interruption of a phone call with his family on November 16. "The phone call was cut off, and Fazil demanded that the connection be restored. Then, Jalal Alizadeh, a detention center officer, along with his colleagues, forcibly removed Fazil from the phone room in the medical unit of the facility, tearing his jacket and dragging him across the floor before throwing him into a cell.
Leave a review