обращение Международного ПЕН-клуба в защиту Акрама Айлисли
Обращение Международного ПЕН-клуба в защиту Акрама Айлисли
12 February 2013
RAN 08/13
AZERBAIJAN: Writer Akram Aylisli Under Threat
A highly regarded novelist,Akram Aylisli, has had his life put in danger in recent days as angry protestors have gathered outside his home, burning copies of his book, and an opposition figure issued threats against him. The source of the outcry is Aylisli’s novel, Stone Dreams, set in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and which provides a sympathetic view of Armenians in the conflict. PEN International fears for Akram Aylisli’s security. It calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee Aylisli’s safety and that of his family, and to investigate and prosecute any person who has threatened him.
Stone Dreams, is a novella set in the Nagorno-Karabakh region that broke away from Azerbaijan in
the early 1990s and which remains a source of tension between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. War broke out between Azerbaijani troops and Armenian separatists
in 1988. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Karabakh declared itself an
independent republic that escalated the region into a full scale war during
which there were reported widespread atrocities. Since 1994 a ceasefire has
held although there have been sporadic outbreaks of fighting since. People
displaced by the war are still unable to return, and the issue remains a source
of acute tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Stone Dreams, first
written in 2007 but not published until five years later, tells the story of
two Azeri men who tried to protect their Armenian neighbours from ethnic
violence, and also refers to the persecution of Armenians in Karabakh. What has
apparently raised the ire of the protestors is that the book reportedly only
refers to Azeri abuses against Armenians and makes no reference to attacks by
Armenians on Azeris. The book has not yet been published in Azerbaijan, but a
Russian translation had already been published in late 2012 in the Russian
literary journal Druahba naradov (Friendship of the Peoples).
The crisis began to build in earlier this month, as Azerbaijani law makers accused
Aylisli of insult to Azerbaijani people, and began to question Aylisli’s own
ethnicity, suggesting that he be forced to leave Azerbaijan to live in Armenia.
Some demanded that he be deprived of his special status as a state writer, a
demand that was met on 7 February 2012, when President Ilham Aliyev stripped
Aylisli of his pension, which had been awarded to him recognition of his past
contribution to literature in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani media reports that
Aylisli was penalised for “distorting facts in Azerbaijani history and
insulting the feelings of Azerbaijani people”. The decision came a week after
protestors had gathered outside Aylisli’s home in Baku, shouting “Shame” and
burning his portrait and books.
According to Radio Free Europe, Stone Dreams also makes thinly veiled
criticism of the former president, Heydar Aliev, father of the current leader,
Ilham Aliyev. NGOs and support groups for veterans and refugees have reportedly
suggested that they could take legal action against Aylisli.
On 11 February, the chairman of the opposition Modern Musavat Party, Hafiz
Hajiyev, announced that he would pay a ransom of 10,000 AZN (c. €9,500) to
anyone who cut off Akram Aylisli’s ear, adding that he is quite aware of the
criminal liability. The Minister of Interior subsequently announced that such
calls for violence were unacceptable and will be investigated. However, the
threat to Aylisli remains acute.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in late January, Aylisli argued “this novel is
a kind of message to Armenians living in Karabakh; in other words, to the
Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan … the message is this: don’t think that we’ve
forgotten all the things we’ve done to you. We accept that. You have also done
bad things to us. It’s the job of Armenian writers to write about those things
… Maybe they’ve written about it already, maybe they will write about it
in the future. I don’t know. Because it’s not possible for any people to commit
such cruelties and not write about it. Don’t politicise these things. If
Armenians continue to live in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, we have to
live side by side. The novel is a message to them. Don’t be afraid. It’s not
the end. We can live together”.
Despite the protests, commentators point out that the recent days events has opened
debate on Armenia, and as recently as 7 February Azerbaijan television
broadcast a feisty live
debate with Aylisli and a member of the ruling party, and others have
openly praised the book.
Aylisli, aged 75, is a highly regarded writer, poet and script writer having won
numerous awards in the Soviet and Post Soviet eras, including, in 2002, Azerbaijan’s
most prestigious literary prize, the Independence Award. Formally a student at
the Maxim Gorky Institute for Literature, he started his literary career in the
late 1950s, and his most famous works include When the Mist Rolls Over the
Mountains (1963) and What the Cherry Blossom Said (1983). He
is also known for his literary translations.
Please Send Appeals
Pleasewrite immediately in Azerbaijani or your own language:
President
Ilham Aliyev
Office of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic
18 Istiqlaliyyat Street,
Baku AZ1066, AZERBAIJAN
Fax: +994 12 492 0625
Email: office@pa.gov.az
Salutation: Dear President
Please check with the PEN office is sending appeals after 15 March 2013
Forfurther details contact Sara Whyatt at the Writers in Prison Committee London Office:
PEN International, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER UK Tel:
+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338 Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7405 0339 e-mail:
sara.whyatt@pen-international.org
SaraWhyatt | Deputy Director | Sous-Directeur | Sub-Directora| PEN International
t. +44 (0)20 7405 0338 | e. Twitter
| Facebook | www.pen-international.org
12 February 2013
RAN 08/13
AZERBAIJAN: Writer Akram Aylisli Under Threat
A highly regarded novelist,Akram Aylisli, has had his life put in danger in recent days as angry protestors have gathered outside his home, burning copies of his book, and an opposition figure issued threats against him. The source of the outcry is Aylisli’s novel, Stone Dreams, set in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and which provides a sympathetic view of Armenians in the conflict. PEN International fears for Akram Aylisli’s security. It calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee Aylisli’s safety and that of his family, and to investigate and prosecute any person who has threatened him.
Stone Dreams, is a novella set in the Nagorno-Karabakh region that broke away from Azerbaijan in
the early 1990s and which remains a source of tension between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. War broke out between Azerbaijani troops and Armenian separatists
in 1988. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Karabakh declared itself an
independent republic that escalated the region into a full scale war during
which there were reported widespread atrocities. Since 1994 a ceasefire has
held although there have been sporadic outbreaks of fighting since. People
displaced by the war are still unable to return, and the issue remains a source
of acute tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Stone Dreams, first
written in 2007 but not published until five years later, tells the story of
two Azeri men who tried to protect their Armenian neighbours from ethnic
violence, and also refers to the persecution of Armenians in Karabakh. What has
apparently raised the ire of the protestors is that the book reportedly only
refers to Azeri abuses against Armenians and makes no reference to attacks by
Armenians on Azeris. The book has not yet been published in Azerbaijan, but a
Russian translation had already been published in late 2012 in the Russian
literary journal Druahba naradov (Friendship of the Peoples).
The crisis began to build in earlier this month, as Azerbaijani law makers accused
Aylisli of insult to Azerbaijani people, and began to question Aylisli’s own
ethnicity, suggesting that he be forced to leave Azerbaijan to live in Armenia.
Some demanded that he be deprived of his special status as a state writer, a
demand that was met on 7 February 2012, when President Ilham Aliyev stripped
Aylisli of his pension, which had been awarded to him recognition of his past
contribution to literature in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani media reports that
Aylisli was penalised for “distorting facts in Azerbaijani history and
insulting the feelings of Azerbaijani people”. The decision came a week after
protestors had gathered outside Aylisli’s home in Baku, shouting “Shame” and
burning his portrait and books.
According to Radio Free Europe, Stone Dreams also makes thinly veiled
criticism of the former president, Heydar Aliev, father of the current leader,
Ilham Aliyev. NGOs and support groups for veterans and refugees have reportedly
suggested that they could take legal action against Aylisli.
On 11 February, the chairman of the opposition Modern Musavat Party, Hafiz
Hajiyev, announced that he would pay a ransom of 10,000 AZN (c. €9,500) to
anyone who cut off Akram Aylisli’s ear, adding that he is quite aware of the
criminal liability. The Minister of Interior subsequently announced that such
calls for violence were unacceptable and will be investigated. However, the
threat to Aylisli remains acute.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in late January, Aylisli argued “this novel is
a kind of message to Armenians living in Karabakh; in other words, to the
Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan … the message is this: don’t think that we’ve
forgotten all the things we’ve done to you. We accept that. You have also done
bad things to us. It’s the job of Armenian writers to write about those things
… Maybe they’ve written about it already, maybe they will write about it
in the future. I don’t know. Because it’s not possible for any people to commit
such cruelties and not write about it. Don’t politicise these things. If
Armenians continue to live in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, we have to
live side by side. The novel is a message to them. Don’t be afraid. It’s not
the end. We can live together”.
Despite the protests, commentators point out that the recent days events has opened
debate on Armenia, and as recently as 7 February Azerbaijan television
broadcast a feisty live
debate with Aylisli and a member of the ruling party, and others have
openly praised the book.
Aylisli, aged 75, is a highly regarded writer, poet and script writer having won
numerous awards in the Soviet and Post Soviet eras, including, in 2002, Azerbaijan’s
most prestigious literary prize, the Independence Award. Formally a student at
the Maxim Gorky Institute for Literature, he started his literary career in the
late 1950s, and his most famous works include When the Mist Rolls Over the
Mountains (1963) and What the Cherry Blossom Said (1983). He
is also known for his literary translations.
Please Send Appeals
Pleasewrite immediately in Azerbaijani or your own language:
- Protesting the threats against
Akram Aylisli and urging the Azerbaijani authorities to provide him and
has family with protection against attack - Urging that there be an
investigation into any person threatening Aylisli and that those found
responsible be brought to prosecution - End the harassment and penalties
imposed against Akram Aylisli linked to his writings.
President
Ilham Aliyev
Office of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic
18 Istiqlaliyyat Street,
Baku AZ1066, AZERBAIJAN
Fax: +994 12 492 0625
Email: office@pa.gov.az
Salutation: Dear President
Please check with the PEN office is sending appeals after 15 March 2013
Forfurther details contact Sara Whyatt at the Writers in Prison Committee London Office:
PEN International, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER UK Tel:
+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338 Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7405 0339 e-mail:
sara.whyatt@pen-international.org
SaraWhyatt | Deputy Director | Sous-Directeur | Sub-Directora| PEN International
t. +44 (0)20 7405 0338 | e. Twitter
| Facebook | www.pen-international.org