Aynur Elgunesh, editor-in-chief of Meydan TV who is in detention, writes from Kurdakhani Detention Center:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Human rights defenders should take note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Azerbaijan is a strange country. Here, a child is a source of security, an heir, a being who will carry you on their shoulders tomorrow. The approach of ‘a son carries you to the grave on his shoulders,’ ‘a daughter cries more’ is a mental value that has come down through the centuries. A child must stand in the shadow of those who brought them into this world throughout their entire life. If they want to live their own life, they are ungrateful, someone who has trampled on family values. Yet they had no role, no order in coming into this world…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like the majority, I too have been someone attached to family values. Throughout my entire life, I have been occupied with satisfying family members and addressing their problems. I am not at all regretful; on the contrary, I take pride in being a good child. The problem is only that both my family and outsiders have accepted what happens in my life not as my personal choice, but as fate’s portion. However, not forming a family, not wanting children is my own choice. Wedding dresses have never caught my attention throughout my life. Even as a teenager, I thought I would adopt and raise a child when I was 25. It didn’t happen. When I reached 25, I saw that I had nothing – no job, no house, no money, no stable life. When my age approached 35, even though I didn’t have a house, I had a normal job and life. Then I inquired, and they said adoption is not given to disabled people. Supposedly they want children so they can support them in the future. Supposedly physically healthy people in Azerbaijan look at their children differently. However, my purpose was never to ‘go to the grave on someone’s shoulders.’ I simply wanted to become attached to an abandoned baby, to give life to each other. It didn’t happen…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many years later, on a day I never planned, a more innocent, small four-legged creature came into my life and changed my entire world. I named him Maks. I became so attached to this small being who followed me step by step, who was with me at every moment, that when I left him alone to go somewhere, my heart stayed at home, and I never lingered anywhere for long. Those who didn’t love him also fell from my favor. I didn’t open my door to relatives and acquaintances who were disgusted by him and didn’t want to let him into their homes. We went everywhere together; he was even in my lap during online meetings. At night he slept either on my head or at my feet. I would stay in the same position for hours so he wouldn’t wake up or be disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now for 6 months I have been longing for this sweet being. Everyone knows that I have had 12 surgeries (10 times on my leg), and one more surgery still awaits me. But at every meeting I warn my lawyer and family members not to make my disability a defense topic. I was arrested as a journalist; I don’t want to be freed because I became disabled. I did the world’s most beautiful job with dignity and should not have been arrested for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither prison nor detention frightens me. Honestly, I am satisfied with my conditions in prison. But I am forced into greater torture – spiritual and psychological suffering. Since the day I was arrested, I haven’t seen Maks, my only household companion, family member, the meaning of my life – my 1.8 kg, passport-holding, regularly vaccinated, medically cared-for four-legged son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I keep remembering when I left home on the day I was arrested, I asked for permission to say goodbye to him. Since I couldn’t bend down, I would always lean one hand against the wall and pick him up from the middle with my other hand. Since Maks was used to this, when someone else wanted to pick him up, he would strangely lift his middle. He did the same again, I took him in my arms, he responded to my kisses by licking my face, as if he knew we were parting, saying goodbye. As I said every time I left home, I whispered softly in his ear: ‘Mama will go and come back. Okay, my Maks?’ As always, he understood, didn’t follow me out the door, stood in the middle of the corridor and watched. His eyes looked plaintive, sad. I haven’t forgotten that look for 6 months. Every time I look at Maks’s photos, I feel that the sadness that settled in his eyes since that day has changed his entire expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have never asked anyone for anything for myself, but I have also defended my rights. Meeting with Maks, who poses no threat, creates no risk, is also my right – the law does not prohibit this. Generally, there is nothing about this in the law. Keeping animals in prisons is against internal regulations, but visits with pets are not prohibited by law. In short, in our country where even humans are not valued, animal rights are not considered at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this country, animals are divided into two categories: beneficial and wasteful. They keep that animal to slaughter and eat it, or to watch and be entertained. The others are simply unnecessary beings that cost you money. That’s why my desire and demand to meet with Maks is met with laughter by some, ridiculed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In court regarding house arrest, I told the judge I have a minor dog under my care, and they laughed. Once one of the female guards saw me in tears. When she learned I was crying for Maks, she was shocked. Even my lawyer said that when he tells someone about this request of mine, it’s met with laughter. However, civilized people don’t choose between the living being they keep at home and their child. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to forcibly instill culture in people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let them laugh. If I can make the people of a country who are unaware that they are in a day to cry laugh with my troubles, how nice. As long as they can laugh too, let them not look at laughing people as frivolous, foolish…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My request to meet with Maks has been conveyed to the leadership of the Baku Investigation Detention Center where I am held. I have applied twice to Mirsaleh Seyidov, head of the penitentiary service. My request has not been taken seriously, and no courtesy of a response has been given. I have also written my third open letter to him. I am sure that this time too it will be answered negatively, or silence will be shown. I may be someone the government doesn’t like, my attitude toward animals may also be different. But according to the UN’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ rules, prisoners’ dignity and rights must be respected; the purpose of punishment is not to inflict additional suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justification: ‘If a dog plays a fundamental role in the prisoner’s emotional or psychological stability (for example, if it is a long-term companion), denying a meeting with it can be assessed as inhumane treatment, especially if this meeting can be organized without any security risk.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These rules recommend maintaining connections between detained persons and the outside world, respecting their dignity, and protecting their psychological welfare. Within this framework, the possibility of contact with an emotionally valuable animal should also be assessed as part of humane treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides this, Azerbaijan is a partner country of the European Convention on Human Rights. Article 8 of the ECHR provides for the right to respect for private and family life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In practice, there are also several cases against various countries. These cases show that emotional attachment, especially if the animal is accepted as a family member or provides important emotional support, should be protected within the framework of Article 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, not meeting with Maks, longing for him psychologically affects me, creates serious problems for my health. Until the day I was arrested, my blood pressure was 70\/110, and when it rose to 120, I would get headaches. Now my blood pressure rises to 160, and even medications don’t lower it. I only cry for Maks, I miss Maks. Maks has become the meaning of my life, and I am suffering spiritual torture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would like international and local human rights defenders, animal lovers, and humanitarians who oppose our arrest to also take this fact into consideration. My right to meet with my only family member must be recognized!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aynur Elgunesh, editor-in-chief of Meydan TV who is in detention, writes from Kurdakhani Detention Center: “Human rights defenders should take note. Azerbaijan is a strange country. Here, a child is a source of security, an heir, a being who will carry you on their shoulders tomorrow. The approach of ‘a son carries you to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":30684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1047],"class_list":["post-30832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-feed","tag-editor"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30833,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832\/revisions\/30833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irfs.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}