Saving human rights activist, Gyulaliyev

The greatest are not mere words. Behind them, there is a herculean, system and human rights task with real accounts and results. No human rights activist of Azerbaijan but Gyulaliyev can make this kind of display. This systematicity covered both protection of a private person and a community as a whole over the most topical events and problems. Among these are:

Headquarters of the civil society «Kura» that has for 2 years advocated rights of hundreds of citizens suffering from flood in 8 regions of Kura zone  in the spring of 2010. A large-scale work revealed causes of flood: it was artificial event pursuing an aim to evict local population and seize fertile lands by oligarchs. As a result of herculean work of the headquarters and its interaction with local population the resettlement plan was postponed. A large-scale corruption was unveiled: a greater portion of $ 1 bln worth funds for flood liquidation was plundered.

It should be remembered that the headquarters succeeded in disbursing compensations and housing the disaster-hit citizens, etc. Reports on flood-inflicted damages made by Gyulaliyev were released and forwarded to all higher-ups. However, the authorities were forced to put on hold: he was beaten up by deputy head of Sabirabad police department, Rauf Mejidov and a group of 7 policemen, then arrested on a trumped up charge on April 8, 2012. He was released in June 2012 after a visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Baku.

The same work was undertaken by the the civil society «Kura» headquarters due to earthquakes in north-western regions of Azerbaijan in May and September 2012.

These were followed by reports and substantive steps on protection of rights of citizens within the framework of the Union «Freedom to political prisoners in Azerbaijan», Center of protection of rights of political prisoners and Committee against tortures and repressions over cases as follows:   

1. Nardaran case (prosecuting believers)

2.  List of political prisoners

3. Georgia case (arrests of Azerbaijani oppositionists)

4. Conditions of detention

5. Gyanja case (mass punishment for attempted assassination of city executive on July 3, 2018)

6.Conditions in jails and the problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan

7. Terter case (murders and arrests of servicemen on treason case).

A defining feature of Gyulaliyev as human rights activist is that in each instance he has been successful in uniting and triggering close ones of wrongfully convicted or assassinated and turning citizens’ protection into their own human rights concern.

It should be noted that this herculean work was “worthily appreciated” by the authorities: Огтай Gyulaliyev and his family have regularly been persecuted, including numerous bookings, repeated beatings, his son’s stabbing; sons’ indictments. The above are realities of the last 9 years of his human rights’ activity.

Car crash and consequences

Gyulaliyev was knocked over by a car on October 29 , at 17.20. The incident became publicly known due to actions of an owner of another car on the scene near a traffic light. His video-recorder imprinted the scene, and the incident was placed in social networks. The recording showed blatant violation of traffic rules by a taxi driver. His actions are not subject to rational explanation and may assessed as ramming attack on Gyulaliyev who was coming back from a press-conference that announced a campaign against tortures. A version of ramming attack is sustained by not only previous relations between law-enforcement bodies and Gyulaliyev but incident-related actions as well. For example, official report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the driver had been disciplined for infliction of bodily harm of moderate severity to a person who slipped into coma!  Further the Ministry presented a video-recording from security cameras that practically duplicated the video previously set out at social networks.

What is important to notice is that the Ministry remains unmoved by calls to show a taxi traffic route in an attempt to identify if the taxi was standing on the watch for Gyulaliyev. Who knows, perhaps, the Ministry would prefer to dodge the recording if not video-recording releases? Suffice it to recall the homicide fact of columnist Rafiq Tagiyev where security cameras on scene of crime suddenly proved to be out of service while recordings obtained from nearby outlets were withdrawn by law-enforcement officials and their content was not made public.

Medical aid

The incident around Gyulaliyev revealed serious problems in the system of public health. Gyulaliyev was brought to a first aid hospital by the driver that knocked him over in half an hour after the incident. He was conscious and could speak. But soon after his health sharply deteriorated due to hemorrhagic stroke after his head’s injury. However, physicians did nothing to reveal hemorrhagic stroke or remove it. After the first aid hospital Gyulaliyev was taken to the private City-hospital, and again no necessary actions to save him had been undertaken. A surgical operation was carried out at noon October 30 at the final stage of hematoma. By this time the hematoma increased to critical level. A visiting Turkish doctor examined Gyulaliyev as saying that his rehabilitation would take more than three months instead of 20 days if aided timely. It’d appropriate to take the patient to a specialized Institute of neurological surgery; however, lack of coordinated actions and conflicting material interests in the system of public health resulted in the deplorable situation. We identified these issues following deaths of Rafik Taghi, journalists Alim Kazimov and Rasim Aliyev, our near and dear ones. However, thousands of these avoidable losses remain unnamed.  

State

1.To save human rights activist Gyulaliyev, not indifferent people applied to government institutions. These appeals were followed by prompt surgical operations performed by neurological surgeons. The point is that the medical aid is meant to operate like highly precise clock  - accurately, not slow , without failing. However, public and private medical institutions proved found wanting.

The situation as it has developed calls for immediate revision of the whole system of public health, including medical policy, management, education, control and responsibility. State and society are sustaining human and material losses. Thousands of people are forced to go abroad for treatment and thus make investments into foreign medical institutions and economy. Nothing personal against Minister Shiraliyev; it is terrifying reality.

2. The Gyulaliyev incident is illustrative of video-recorder and public control’s important role. Suffice it to recall an incident with Tofik Zulfugarov, former Foreign Minister, where a pedestrian wanting in some aspects gang up on his car and was lost beneath the wheels of another car, and Zulfugarov was defrauded of his own car at the direction of a police  general. It was a video-recorder that helped the former Minister to prove innocence. 

It’d be correct to apply video-recorders on compulsory legislative basis by all moving vehicles and thus create a system of public control in the road security. In this case every driver would be able to display publicly a video on violation of traffic security rules. With that end in view, it’d be appropriate to create a special resource over all recorded violations with the effect that the road police could punish road-hogs according to the procedure provided for by the legislation. Such a mutual control of drivers will definitely reduce infringements of the law, injuries and deaths, have a prophylactic effect and tighten road security. If video-recorders had been set at cars, we’d have had tens of video-plots about the Gyulaliyev incident.

 It has to be kept in mind that there are 1, 5 mln cars in Azerbaijan. Average car value of video-recorders is $ 20, i. e. $ 30 mln are required to set 1,5 mln video-recorders. For this to happen, the state is to dole out the money. Subsequently, a person purchasing a car will have to set a video-recorder statutorily. With that end in view, it is essential to make amendments in the law.

Much may and is to be done. That’s another but very important story. It is now time to save human rights activist Gyulaliyev who shielded so many people from lawlessness and violence. There are many ways to flee, and everybody follows his own way. The God hears our prayers and helps him. To him according to his good deeds.