In the political deadlock

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- Mr.Annagi, how do you assess the current political situation in the country?

- Recently, there have been several political events: the scandal involving the Council of Europe, the arrest of the PFPA functionaries, the imprisonment of REAL-stories, the detention of Emin Aslan, etc. In fact, these were the most significant events that took place recently in the political environment. And, of course, in any case, all this does not bode well for Azerbaijani society and the state. The "crusade" against civil society, which began in 2014, has been a little late recently. Although the sanctions against civil society and political persons - the prohibition of political activity, travel abroad, the imposition of seizure of foreign accounts - remained in force. But there were no new arrests, no new repressions against NGOs. That is, all this was somewhat quiet. And even the government stated that the legislation will make positive changes regarding NGOs, receiving grants. However, the conduct of new punitive actions against the backdrop of all this, naturally, increased discontent in society and even more heated the atmosphere.

- What do you think, what is the purpose of these arrests?

"In my opinion, the main purpose of these arrests is to instill in the atmosphere of fear in the society in order to exclude those who wish to engage in active political activity, and the ultimate goal is to make the country more manageable. Because to establish a democratic atmosphere in the country, first of all, it will be necessary to start with the democratization of the system of government, liberalize the economy, and provide political and legal freedoms. In the absence of all this, the activation of society is not beneficial to the authorities. Therefore, it seeks to get a silent mass as a result, because it is much easier to manage.

- And the mechanism of targeting of fear, about which you speak, operates?

-"Let's not deceive ourselves." It cannot be said that it does not work at all. But, naturally, we can say that the goal that the authorities set for themselves has not been fully achieved. You probably noticed that many years ago, parents and relatives of people arrested for political activity, arranged, almost, no commemoration of them, but now they write in social networks that they are proud of their sons and daughters who are engaged in such activities. And they are on the right track, even if they are in dungeons. All this says that the authorities cannot achieve what they want. But, at the same time, it cannot be denied that their measures to some extent frighten some people. But, in any case, in history, in no country has there been such a case that for a long time society could be managed only by repressive methods.

- "However, along with all this, some people are still waiting for reforms, that is, they still hope to change the current policy of the authorities. Before the elections, some predicted fundamental changes. What do you think? Do you expect any reforms?

- I have never expected reforms from this power, because I worked for a short time in state bodies. For about 20 years he worked in civil society. Participated in meetings, in discussions in the legislative body, in the executive branch in connection with the adoption of laws. And as a person who has seen the vowels and tacit aspects of all this, has never tasted illusions in this regard. For I understand: the management system is so built that, in its essence, excludes cardinal reforms.

- So you are convinced that there will never be a reform?

- What the authorities call reforms, in fact, are not the reforms: they are cosmetic changes. If we are talking about real, real reforms, they will never be held. Under the conditions of this management system, these measures will be measures that do not involve the implementation of real reforms and fundamental changes in the country. The rule of law, the provision of economic freedoms, the liberalization of the business environment, respect for human rights, the enforcement of law by law enforcement agencies, the independence of courts under the current system of government are impossible. She excludes all this, for she is in such a state that when she grasps for one, the other breaks. That is, the very essence of this system is that it is impossible to carry out reforms in it.

- Then, what, in your opinion, can force the authorities to implement the real reforms that you are talking about?

- Only a strong society, capable opposition, strong international support. Unfortunately, in its current state, all this is not at the proper level. And, considering all this, I assert that in the near future I do not expect any serious changes.

- According to some analysts, there is some desperation in the society, although some call it indifference. What do you think are the reasons for this condition?

-"In fact, we too, in our conversation, gave way to despair. But, unfortunately, this is reality, and it's not our fault. This pessimism in society is due, first, to reality itself, and secondly, to the essence of the activities of this power that are being carried out to this day. Since 2003, some newspapers and news agencies have deceived the population, claiming that after the next elections very serious changes will take place, reforms will start, all bribe-takers, corrupt officials will be dismissed from their jobs. And now for 15 years the society has listened to these tales. But people can not be fooled for long. And even naive people already understand the essence of the matter.

- As you know, the action is equal to counteraction. And the authorities are not afraid that one day the fear, despondency, despair in society boomerang mentioned by you will turn against them?

- Of course, it can turn around! In any case, it's really possible. Just for such an explosion to occur, it is necessary to accumulate a sufficient amount of energy. On the one hand, we are told that in the course of many years of energy, a lot has accumulated, but when is it? On the other hand, apparently, it is still not enough for an explosion.

But in any case, as we see, for example, during events in various countries of the world, sooner or later, before the people driven to despair, nothing can stand. The Azerbaijani society, but, first of all, the Azerbaijani authorities should think that it is impossible to tolerate cataclysms, similar to those observed in different parts of the world. This can lead to trouble and power, and the opposition, and ordinary people, and society as a whole.

- So what should the authorities do to prevent these catastrophes?

- Do you want me, contradicting myself, to say that it is necessary to carry out reforms? It is a pity, but there is no other answer to this question.