Cecilia Fasciani

A dark day for Azerbaijan. Baku Court for Grave Crimes issued prison sentences to 7 journalists: 1. Fərid Mehralızadə, Ülvi Həsənli, Sevinc Abbasova, Hafiz Babalı – 9 years 2. Məhəmməd Kekalov – 7 years 6 months 3. Nərgiz Absalamova and Elnarə Qasımova – 8 years

Not even a month has passed since my arrest, but I have received several pieces of troubling news about the systemic problems that continue in the country. The tragic deaths of eighteen-year-old Elgun in Ganja, the sixteen-year-old girl who was murdered and thrown into a canal in Sabirabad, and the fifteen-year-old girl whose body was found in Imishli are alarming signs of where our society is heading. I was deeply dismayed upon hearing that people who demanded a transparent investigation into Elgun’s death were subjected to persecution, pressure, and intimidation by the police. I was saddened because, being in prison, I cannot conduct a full and independent investigation into these matters. The last time, I had investigated the criminal case of a thirteen-year-old girl who became a mother in Aghjabadi and had presented the details to the public in a comprehensive manner. After those facts came to light, the Prosecutor General's Office sent the case back to the court for reconsideration. Of course, the outcome was never made public. Government-aligned media outlets treat such news stories simply as a source of ratings. They ignore the suffering of the victims and focus more on blaming the victims themselves. They work hard to present these issues as problems of individual morality in order to distract from the fact that the real issue lies within the system. The importance of independent journalism becomes even more evident when such serious problems come to the surface. Independent journalism exists to expose the infected wounds of society and to offer ways for those wounds to heal. We have been raising our voices about these issues for years without growing tired, but the state continues to pursue a policy of ignoring them. It operates on the belief that if a problem is not mentioned, then it does not exist. As if sweeping the dirt under the carpet would somehow make the smell disappear. As if unaware of the stench that has already spread everywhere. The arrest of independent journalists is part of this very policy. That is why, under such an authoritarian regime, it would be more surprising if we were not imprisoned than if we were. However, those who imprison us forget that we still continue to be the voice of society. Because even prison itself is a small version of Azerbaijan. International reports state that there are 365 political prisoners in the country, but very few people know how many prisoners are subjected to false accusations. Drugs left over from other cases are planted on people, and innocent individuals are blamed for crimes committed by others just so a case does not remain unsolved. And there are many more such cases. Whenever I used to look at the judgments posted on the electronic court portal, I was shocked by the large number of drug-related criminal cases. Of course, no one denies that this problem exists in society, but after being imprisoned, the real reason became clear to me. If someone is arrested under a minor charge, a drug charge is automatically added to the basket of accusations. Just imagine how much that affects the overall statistics. If someone is caught with a small amount of drugs, they are “gifted” with even more, because the heavier the quantity, the higher is bribe. Most people know the saying, “One caught it, one cut it, one ate it,” and in the end, the last one gets nothing. But in the corruption and bribery machine that has been set up in Azerbaijan, everyone gets something. The one who catches, the one who writes up the case, the one who judges, and even the so-called bystander all benefit. No one goes hungry when feeding off people’s suffering. The system works so efficiently that those who commit the crimes, the so-called order followers, never step back and say, “I do not want to be a part of this.” People are powerless in the face of this system, and they simply surrender and do what they are expected to do. They feed the system, whether by catching, preparing the case, judging, or watching silently. What has happened to us, I would not call imprisonment as much as I would call it separation from society. We have descended into the deepest layers of society’s problems, like miners, and we have stood with the most oppressed and broken layers of the population. And we will continue to shed light on their suffering.

Aytac Tapdig, who is another detained journalist in the same pre-trial detention centre as her, reported that, after being subjected to police violence and receiving multiple blows to various parts of her head, has vomited twice at Medical Service and once in detention center.

History is written by people like Ulviyya. Those who stood against her will be forgotten, like all the servants and slaves of power before them.

European Parliament members who voted against the resolution on the Azerbaijani human rights situation are mostly from the countries Azerbaijan is exporting oil or gas. Ideologically, they are right and Islamophobe if not fascist and anti-semitic.

Prosegue la nostra inchiesta sul nuovo numero di @espressonline con @MargheritaCapa3 e @sof_turati grazie al supporto di @journalismfund

Il nostro video reportage “Le paure degli armeni dopo la pulizia etnica in Nagorno Karabakh” prodotto in Armenia con @zan_csonakos e Clara Leonardi uscito oggi per @Internazionale si guarda qui: internazionale.it/video/2024/11/…

Le paure degli armeni dopo la pulizia etnica in Nagorno Karabakh. Di @FascianiC. intern.az/1KXP

Esce anche il nostro video reportage per @RSIonline sulle violazioni dei diritti umani lungo la frontiera tra Turchia e Bulgaria. Un lavoro a cui teniamo molto. Con @eliachr, Nicola Di Chio e Miriam Selima Fieno ▶️ rsi.ch/info/mondo/La-…

Uscito oggi per @RSIonline il nostro audio documentario sulla frontiera tra Turchia e Bulgaria, insieme al Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche. Scritto e prodotto con i compagni di viaggio @eliachr, Nicola Di Chio e Miriam Selima Fieno ▶️ Si ascolta qui: shorturl.at/vyuCx

PHOTO ESSAY | Azerbaijan is accused of using COP29 to greenwash its despotic petrostate image. Despite promises to cut emissions, the governments' plans reveal a lack of true commitment to climate action. 📸 @FascianiC ✍️ @MargheritaCapa3 & @sof_turati greeneuropeanjournal.eu/green-is-not-a…

🧵L’Azerbaijan è stato il primo Paese ad aprire pozzi petroliferi al mondo e le conseguenze ambientali sono devastanti. L'europa vuole diventare indipendente dal gas russo e per questo ha firmato un accordo per aumentare le forniture di gas entro il 2027. irpimedia.irpi.eu/specialecop29-…

🧵 La Cop29 comincia l’11 novembre e si chiude il 22. L’Azerbaijan è uno dei Paesi attraverso cui l’Ue vuole rendersi indipendente dal gas russo, ma Aliyev è un dittatore. Leggi l'inchiesta di oggi di @MargheritaCapa3 @FascianiC e @sof_turati ⬇️ irpimedia.irpi.eu/specialecop29-…

È in arrivo la #Cop29 a Baku: il nostro viaggio attraverso l'#Azerbaigian incontrando attivisti, sindacaliste e lavoratori precari nel petrol-stato che reprime ogni libertà. Con @MargheritaCapa3 @sof_turati - Grazie a @journalismfund da oggi su @RSIonline shorturl.at/V1jgZ

Con @sof_turati e @FascianiC E il supporto di @journalismfund @RSIonline

A poche settimane dall'inizio della #Cop29 a Baku, il nostro viaggio attraverso l'#Azerbaigian - incontrando attivisti per democrazia e ambiente oppressi dal governo e toccando con mano il grande impatto ambientale di un Paese basato su petrolio e gas open.spotify.com/episode/0RMDz9…

È uscito oggi per LASER - @RSIonline il nostro reportage dall’#Armenia “LUNGO LA FRONTIERA DEL CONFLITTO”, a cui abbiamo lavorato con @zan_csonakos e Clara Leonardi. Si ascolta qui: open.spotify.com/episode/3u7XwQ…

Siamo riusciti ad astenerci anche stavolta, e stavolta sull'illegalità dell'occupazione israeliana della Palestina dal 1967 a oggi. Illegalità sancita dal più alto organo giudiziario del sistema delle Nazioni Unite, vale a dire la Corte Internazionale di Giustizia. L'Italia si è astenuta assieme a Germania, Austria, Olanda, Svezia, Svizzera, Regno Unito, Romania, Slovacchia, Serbia, Albania, Croazia, Danimarca, Polonia. Segnalo che a favore della fine dell'occupazione hanno votato, sul fronte largamente europeo, Belgio, Francia, Spagna, Portogallo, Grecia, Irlanda, Cipro, Finlandia, Lussemburgo, Lettonia, Estonia (che esprime ora la nuova rappresentante esteri dell'Unione Europea). E poi Bosnia-Erzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta. I commenti sono superflui. Ne faccio solo uno: è evidente che siamo sempre più residuali - anche come continente europeo - in un mondo che ha già deciso che non si può più rimandare quello che è stato rimandato per troppi decenni. La fine dell'occupazione.

In @radio3mondo in-depth discussion today our investigation “Azerbaijan to Italy: the hidden costs of gas”, carried out with @MargheritaCapa3 @sof_turati and Fatima Karimova thanks to the support of @journalismfund