Federal Lezghi
National and Cultural Autonomy

 

The other day Azerbaijani news agency APA published an interview with Akram Aylisli, who has been nominated to Noble Peace Prize by a group of public figures leaving in different parts of the world.

It is noteworthy that this interview is very similar to another one Aylisli gave a day before to the Radio Free in Khadija Ismailova’s program "After work”. There is only one exception: in the interview published by APA some ideas were voiced that "Armenian lobby won’t be able to come close to the individuals” who have nominated him for Noble Peace Prize. As well Aylisli gives laudatory comments about the former president of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, whose character is criticized in his work "Stone Dreams”.

"When I met Elçibey I begged him not to build a state in time of war, we have to do something to establish a ceasefire. I wrote about this in the press too. If there was no such strong politician and diplomat as Heydar Aliyev, it would have been difficult to come to that solution,” Aylisli said in an interview with APA.

Meanwhile in an interview with "Hafta.az” Aylisli rejected the information disseminated in Azerbaijani media that he has been nominated to Noble Prize by Armenians. "Nomination is not carried out by the people, but by a group of prominent public figures,” said Aylisli and confessed that there is an Armenian among the signatories whom Azerbaijani writer doesn’t know personally.

Akram Aylisli as well noted that while comparing Noble laureates with contemporary Azerbaijani writings it becomes obvious that there are no writings in Azerbaijan that correspond to that level.

In an interview with Radio Free Aylisli notes that he has written "Stone dreams” based on the stories of his parents and relatives and that when he was a child those stories left an indelible impression on him. "I’ve written my book on the bases of real-life stories of how this or that man, a child and so on were killed or slaughtered,” Aylisli said.

Speaking of Turkish writer Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk , Aylisli noted that in his novel "Snow" Pamuk tells about Turkish nationalism – the reason of the Armenian and Kurdish problem.

"Here we see the following: the return of Karabakh by military means- the state ideology. This is the result of persuasion and work of politicians. Writer’s task is never to reconcile with the policy of hostility between two nations. Even as a deputy I said that bad peace is better than war. I even said that if you so badly wish for war create a squad comprised of your sons and relatives and go to war, we will come behind you. Everyone accused me stating that the concept of homeland is not imprinted in my heart and soul but on my tongue. I regret that the concept of homeland is on the tongue of the majority of my nation. One still needs to seek for people among them who carry homeland in their soul. TV shows a mother who is ready to send all her ten boys to die in the name of motherland. However, during the war I visited all the military units and saw how many deserters were there,” Aylisli noted.

Aylisli as well noted that in his story about the slaughter of Armenians in Nakhijevan in 1919 he tells the truth not for the sake of peace but for the sake of truth itself. "I described the real, true events,” he noted.

Akram Aylisli is national writer (since 1998) and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, holder of the highest order of Azerbaijan "Istiglal” (2002) and the order of "Shokhrat” for his outstanding merits in the literature of Azerbaijan. Recently, on the website of Russian magazine "Friendship of Nations” was published his novel titled "Stone Dreams” in which the author describes the massacres of Armenians in Baku in 1990 and in Nakhichevan in 1919. The author in his novel speaks positively about the Armenian people and their culture. The novel "Stone Dreams” also contains criticism over the former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and the tyranny of the system created by him.

After publication of the novel, Aylisli was exposed to severe pressures in Azerbaijan; the pro-governmental youth held rally in front of his house, his issue was discussed in the parliament of Azerbaijan, MPs suggested to burn his books and to deprive him of citizenship and deport from Azerbaijan. Many people "blamed” Aylisli in his Armenian origin, etc. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev deprived him of personal pension and the title of National Writer, and accused him of "purposefully distorting the history of Azerbaijan” and "in distorting realities about history of Azerbaijan in an inappropriate way.”

The leader of the pro-governmental party ”Modern Musavat” Hafis Hajiyev announced that he would pay about 10 Euros to the one who will cut the ear of the writer. Only after the intervention of the media, the politician was "warned” by the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan about the illegality of such appeals.

The U.S. Department of State and the OSCE Office in Baku condemned persecution of Aylisli in Azerbaijan and called on the authorities to fulfill their obligations.