‘Ilham Aliyev, how about making peace with your own citizens?' – journalist writes from prison
Azerbaijani journalist Fatima Movlamli, detained as part of the Meydan TV case, wrote from prison about her reflections on the recent 'historical peace meeting' in Washington.
Last December, the Khatai District Court in Baku ordered four-month pre-trial detention for several Meydan TV staff, including editor-in-chief Aynur Elgunesh (Ganbarova), Aytaj Ahmadova (Tapdyg), Khayala Aghayeva, Aysel Umudova, Natiq Javadli, freelance reporter Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzadeh) and civil society activist Ulvi Tahirov. They are charged under article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group with prior agreement). This case has become known as the Meydan TV case.
This year, journalists Shamshad Aghayev, Nurlan Gahramanli (Libre), Fatima Movlamli and Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva) were also arrested on the same charge as part of the same case.
Here is the full text of Fatima Movlamli's letter from prison.
Journalist Fatima Movlamli | photo: fb.com/FatimaMovlamli
Let me say from the outset that any step towards peace makes me happy. The war, used for years as a tool of pressure against both peoples, should have ended long ago – and those who said so should never have been branded 'traitors to the homeland'.
On 8 August, I followed closely the ceremony attended by all three presidents, and especially the press conference. Beyond the event's content, I was curious about something else: who would speak there on behalf of the Azerbaijani media, and what question would they ask? As a journalist from a country where independent reporters are jailed on trumped-up charges, I wondered what would be at the heart of a question from someone who had the means to attend.
Soon the reporter from the Report news agency took the floor – but their 'question' simply wasn't there. It seemed that, unlike other times, they hadn't been sent a pre-written text from the administration to recite and circulate, as pro-government outlets usually do.
After the journalist spoke, my cellmate asked: 'What is he even talking about?' I replied: 'We're not alone – even Trump didn't understand what he said.'
The most telling moment came when Ilham Aliyev intervened. Like a parent speaking for a stammering child, he took over and tried to 'translate' his aide's 'question'. But there was no question in the first place. So the best he could manage was: 'He's saying, will you visit us?'
It was like falling into a pit you've dug yourself. When you jail independent journalists who speak with weight and authority, and instead hand the stage to those who need permission for every word, who angle for free apartments, titles and praise from the government – what else can you expect? Of course that journalist would stumble. And of course it had to happen at that very meeting. (I enjoy life's little ironies like that.)
Did you notice how one journalist asked whether one side might back down – and got an answer from all three leaders? The curiosity and tension that question created laid bare the difference between an independent journalist and a subservient scribe.
As for me, I sadly couldn't be there. First, because the road from Kurdakhani to Washington is rather long – and besides, I don't have a visa.
But I can still ask my question from here:
So, what about making peace with your own citizens? You and those around you plunder the nation's wealth, your police beat people, your investigators work to order, and citizens live in fear of a baton crashing down on their heads. Journalists who expose these truths are jailed as 'smugglers'.
So, Aliyev – will there be peace, real peace?
Fatima Movlamli
Baku Pretrial Detention Centre
News in Azerbaijan
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