The land of scary books | | Khural newspaper
Rovshan Hajibeyli
They don’t want to give books to those in prison
Publisher Shahbaz Khuduoglu has been working for more books to be read for years. Some immediately say “there are business interests here”. Of course there is. However, this interest also serves the development of society. The “Book on Wheels” project can be considered successful, even if it faces resistance in some places… Because this is also understandable, the government, far from democratic values, does not want books to be read, books to come to the door, the population to be educated, it is easier to control the illiterate masses.
For many years, there seems to be a “crusade” against the book in our country. You probably remember the presidential order of 2004. “On the implementation of mass publications in the Azerbaijani language with Latin script” I say the order. In itself, the intention seemed to be pure, but this order dealt a serious blow to libraries across the country. All books printed in the Cyrillic alphabet were removed. In those years, I learned in the village that all the books in the village and school libraries were thrown out. In those years, there was no gas in the village, the villagers took those books home and burned them in the stove.
In fact, one of the purposes of that order was to destroy the books of undesirable authors, and at the same time, to steal millions from the budget. At that time, Ramiz Mehdiyev, Fatma Abdullazade and others made good money from the “Latin graphics” operation…
Where did you remember this book from 20 years ago? I learned from social networks that the books that lawyer Elchin Sadigov took with him when he went to meet with political prisoners were not accepted.
The administration of the detention center returned the books: it is not allowed to give books to political prisoners. However, he did not say in which law, code, rule this is written. This is not without reason, because there is no such prohibition in any law, even deputies with fake mandates have not signed such a law…
But what is the reason for the ban on the release of books to prisons and delivery to prisoners? Are there really many banned books in the country? But where is it possible to get acquainted with the list of those books? Perhaps, instead of the “Police Wanted” signs placed in front of police stations, they should be placed in front of detention centers, but a list of prohibited books should be placed here? Those who end up in detention centers should familiarize themselves with that list so that they don’t have to suffer and burden themselves with those books. How is it that banned drugs find their way into prisons, but non-banned books are turned away?
What kind of changes can the books sent to journalist Sevinj Vagifqizi, Ulvi Hasanli, Nargiz Absalamova, Hafiz Babali, Elnara Gasimova, Aziz Orujov and others make in their thinking and attitude towards this government, which the prison administration prohibits? Most of the political prisoners in prison have passed their youth and have read a lot of books by now, which means that whatever changes have happened have already happened. But what is the fear? Some of these people have lived in prison, been imprisoned, and faced pressures, but their views on life have not changed, and it is not expected that some book will change them… Changing people is a difficult task, it is better to either change the laws or your dual attitude towards the laws. How is it that terrorists can talk to their families by video, but journalists arrested on illegal and false charges are denied this right for months?!
For now, the laws in force are on the side of the detained persons. It is their right to enjoy all the rights. They are under investigation, they are accused persons, they are not yet considered criminals (the rights of criminals are also protected by law), they say that they did not commit any crime when they were detained and in their speeches in court, they are defamed, they are arrested on false charges, because of their journalistic activities. All their rights must be protected in the Baku Detention Center where they are detained. It is written in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: “161.1.2. immediately after the arrested person is brought to the pre-trial detention center, to give him the opportunity to inform his close relatives or other persons whose contact is of legal interest to him about his arrest and where he is being held by phone or by other means…” it is the responsibility of the prison administration. Has the management of the detention center fulfilled this duty? No, for months they were not allowed to talk on the phone or meet their families. Now they don’t even want to give books…
Let’s wish that Mr. Shahbaz’s “Bookshop on Wheels” could go to the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center and to the courtyards of prisons scattered across the country… Don’t be afraid of the book…