December 10, the Human Rights Day

CONGRATULATIONS OF THE INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY

To celebrate the Human Rights Day in Azerbaijan of 2013 is as much to celebrate the Jewish Pesah or Hanukkah by Jews in Auschwitz back in 1943.

We are celebrating but with a sore heart and strong doubt to survive till liberation.

More than 140 (!!) political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are losing their health and lives in prison. Following the yet another usurpation of power on October 9, frame-up trials are marching across the country. The trial in Sheki city, whereto the authorities bring Ilgar Mammedov (REAL Movement) from the Ganja pretrial detention facility and Tofig Yagublu (Musavat party), is turning into a months-long torture. The kangaroo trial of Yadigar Sadikhov (Musavat party) in Lenkeran serves to demonstrate the southern residents that even an inveterate intellectual teacher with eyeglasses will be found a hooligan and end up in prison!

The Grave Offence Court keeps telling the young accused - as soon as the master orders, we will convict 8.000, not 8, as drug addicts and terrorists, and neither Europe, nor the United States helps you.

During the first 2 months following October 9, four people who dared bring the Truth against the power of the wealthiest authoritarian regime of the Aliyevs have been sent to prison: lawyer and human rights activist Gurban Mammedov (sentenced to 3 years), theologian Tale Bagirov (sentenced to 2 years), journalist Sardar Alibeyli (sentenced to 4 years), blogger Rashad Ramazanov (sentenced to 9 years).

The Truth has always made dictators and occupants fear. And our Motherland is suffering from this occupation, as its smaller part is occupied by the Armenian occupants and the rest by the criminal authoritarian regime.

In keeping silent and obedient the citizens hope to avoid the horrid fate of dissidents. Our countryman prioritizes his family, future of his children, and it means he must keep mum to live happily and quietly.

And then he gets surprised - for what? - when they come to demolish his house and he can protect neither his family, nor his house.

The family of Medjidov from Divichi region could not protect even their tender kids when in 2007 the chief of the local police ordered to abduct their daughters of 7 and 14 years to sell:.they were abducted:.the family members may have thought - the boys are with us:

The family of Novruzali Mammedov (linguist professor and editor of Tolyshi Sado newspaper) could only keep his widow, but he and his 2 sons were killed in 2008-2009.

When you yourselves are not thrown into a gas chamber and oven, but are to rake out the ashes from the oven, it does not guarantee, my dear countrymen, that tomorrow you will not have to rake out the ashes of your children and parents :

Congratulations! Happy Human Rights Day, Azerbaijanis!