The Voice of Mirza Xazar

Dream of opportunity leads to 'lip service' in Iraq

By Pfc. Abel Trevino, 28th Public Affairs Detachment

LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Balad, Iraq

Mahir Ibrahimov came to the United States in 1993 from his homeland of Azerbaijan, a republic of the former Soviet Union, with his wife, daughter and a dream of opportunity. Eleven years after moving to America, he volunteered to help defend his country, the United States, the best way he knew how: by becoming a contracted linguist for the Army. "After 9/11, I felt it was very important to be helpful any way I could," Ibrahimov said. "I feel that this is a very important mission at this time. Nothing is more important than the events here in Iraq and around Iraq. Ibrahimov's striving to help the United States is not a recent trend for him: his previous employment consistently benefited his new homeland. To come to Iraq, Ibrahimov left his job teaching foreign languages at the Foreign Service Institute at the State Department. Prior to that, he was a consultant to several American companies engaged in international business and the president of The Educational and Business Center in Washington, D.C. Ibrahimov has made education an integral part of his life, from teaching to his extensive studies with several accredited universities around the world. Along with his master's degree, Ibrahimov is also a qualified Arabic and English linguist. He is fluent in Russian, Azerbaijani and Turkish and can communicate in another five languages from the Turkic linguistic family. He holds a doctorate from The Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow in international relations and political science and has taken educational classes from the School of Advanced International Studies affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and the World Politics Institute in Washington, D.C. All the classes I've taken and studied lately were related to international relations and political science, Ibrahimov said. "My master's degree was in international journalism plus linguistics of foreign languages. His proficiency in languages has earned him the nickname "Genius" by the civil affairs unit he is contracted to, while enabling him to actively participate in experiencing the regional cultures of Iraq. Getting to know the differences and particularities in all three customs is very interesting to me, he said. Since his arrival to Iraq on April 21, his travels with civil affairs and other units have taken him across Iraq, including Baghdad and many small villages. My opinion is, when I want to know about a country, I don't want to go to the big cities because all big cities are the same in all the countries, he said. In order to understand better their customs and culture, it is better to go to the villages; that is where you can feel the cultural spirit of the people. Ibrahimov said that he is in the process of writing a book on his experiences here, along with insights and nuances of the cultures he has experienced. This is a new, unique experience to add to my life, he said. I've never been in a real combat situation. I've had different experiences in my life. I've had good jobs, but I've never been in that kind of situation. Working on his book means more to Ibrahimov than just sharing what he's seen; it expands on his life's ambitions and passions. Education is something that requires persistence, Ibrahimov said. All my life, I've been doing something everyday: either practicing my languages, writing articles or my book or reading something just for enrichment. He also writes poetry, short stories and plays the piano when time allots him the luxury to enjoy his hobbies. He said his pursuit of education has kept him busy for many years and that everyone has to continuously practice to maintain knowledge. It's not just about getting the degree. After getting the degree the process is not over. People need to maintain themselves intellectually all their lives, he said. Editor's Note: Pfc. Trevino is a member of the 28th Public Affairs Detachment from Fort Lewis, Wash. and is deployed to Iraq in support of units at LSA Anaconda

At the “Round Table” held by the activists of the “Protest” Movement against injustices in the country, pressure made to the Mass-media personals and in respect of independent journalist Elmar Housseynov’s heavy assassination was adopted the following Statement. Dear compatriots, ladies and gentlemen! After the collapse of the Soviet Union Azerbaijan took the road of integration to the West and establishment of the Civil Society, but unfortunately the global geopolitical problems in the Caucasus Region, wars and domestic contradictions made by the forces who try to come to the power influenced negatively to the democratic development of the society and as the result: Authoritarian regime was established in the country; There were not set the democratic institutions; The unfair privatization was carried out under the “reforms”; By applying the most repressive form of the monopoly the economical wealth were misappropriated by the leaders of the regime; The state bodies were fully and completely made dependent on the will of the authoritarian regime and were moved for their personal security; The state bodies which should protect the interests of the people, has been changed to the repression instrument guarding the regime from the people; The state positions were distributed between the relatives of the Authoritarian regime, their friends and the ones who paid the great amount of the bribe; The settlement of the domestic and regional matters were made dependent of the interests of the Regime; By wrecking the national economy of Azerbaijan the Power began to increase its sums and to use them against the people; Through making the proper maneuvers the Power using the Caucasus regional problems temporarily diverted the attention of the International organizations from the domestic problems – including the mass infringement of the human rights and falsification, horrible corruption, by introducing itself as “a friend” of the West under the cause of ‘protection of the stability’ has once achieved the false elections, strengthened the illegal Power by means of changing into the Regime; The Regime stroke heavily against the Democratic powers of the country by means of some Russian security and proiranian forces, having their own interests in the region; The Regime nullified the activeness of the people immediately after the elections by taking the leaders into the prison, by the mass punishment measures, reduced their will and enthusiasm of struggle, made them leave the country for the best work and freedom (at the moment 3,5 million people of 8,0 million population of the country have left the country); The regime carrying out terror, repression and real war against their own compatriots and the independent press, afford itself to present the democracy like this. To think freely, to tell the truth and to write them during the authority of this Regime – could be compared as with walking in the mined area; Performing its work on fear and toadyism, the Regime also keeps the problem of Garabag like “the Syndrome of Fear”. By this way the Regime, terrifying the majority part of the population with the new war and failures, is not interested in return of more than 1 million people to their native lands. It prevents the socio-political tension by the refugees, being the subjects of the repression and poverty; Bringing the people to the condition of paralysis by the companies and organizations everywhere throughout the country belonging to the members of the Regime, making the superficial obstacles of the life in the sphere of the work, education, health, security, gas, electricity, water and other problems, they annihilate the actives and leader men. At present everyone in Azerbaijan has got a plenty of human problems and they raise their voices of PROTEST against the injustice in the society; The stability in Azerbaijan is humiliating. The situation in the country may come to the critical level as the result of the destructive activity of the forces inside the Regime and the anger of the people who live with a lot of problems for many years. The defeated side here will at the end be the Azerbaijani people, democracy in the Region, the Human Rights, integration to the West, Civil Society and the democratic processes! The repressive destructive local and foreign forces, having their own interests in the Region may infringe the superficial stability in the region using the regime’s antidemocratic policy and inner clan intrigues. All these upper goings causes the PROTEST of the members of the ‘PROTEST’ movement being the Constitutional and civil Movement in order to establish the normal civil society in Azerbaijan: The upper going matters and hundreds of problems which we have not noted here in order to overcome the anticipated tragedies and fighting against the breech of the Human Rights and anti democracy, ‘the Protest’ movement hopes to make constructive reforms to change the existing state in the society and offers: First of all the public TV should be set up in the shortest possible time and its finance should be reached to the level of the state TV. The election Commission and the election Legislation should be properly changed and they should be coordinated with the UNO standards. The repressions and ugly black plans against the Mass Media should be stopped at once. The government should guarantee the security of the opposition trended journalists and freely thinking people and all the court claims raised against the newspapers should be nullified. All the political prisoners should be freed from the prisons and the ugly conditions in the prisons should be improved. The high state functionaries, who have ‘gained’ the hatred of the people, should voluntarily resign or the president of the country in accordance with the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic. As the president of all the citizen of the country should send them to the resignation, taking the support from the people and the political parties. There should be determined the working term in the main state posts and the youth should be attracted to the state works. There should be declared the national reconciliation in the country, the priorities should be determined and there should be started the democratic election company. The repressive state functionaries, who have made heavy state crimes, should be duly punished. There should be determined the foreign and domestic political doctrine of the country, should be achieved the real, profound peace and cooperation. In the management, education, public health, customs, army, administrative structures, court legislation, cultural valuables and in other areas there should be carried out substantial reforms and everything should be brought to the due level for the sake of our state and citizens’ interests. Everybody should have equal rights. The country leader also should feel himself not as a monarch heir, but a man elected by the citizens of the country. The Human Rights, Democracy, Social Fair, Civil Society and economical development should become reality in Azerbaijan. Openness, Transparency, Humanism and Fair will be the ordinary and necessary standards. PROTESTING against the injustice, we demand: For the sake of the free word: Public Television! For the normal life: Democracy! For our freedom: Election opportunity! For the people: Human Rights! For Mass Media: Stop Pressure! For Azerbaijan: Civil Society! ON BEHALF OF THE PROTESTERS Joshgun Feyzullayev Director of “SHRVAN” Human Rights Resource Center

At the “Round Table” held by the activists of the “Protest” Movement against injustices in the country, pressure made to the Mass-media personals and in respect of independent journalist Elmar Housseynov’s heavy assassination was adopted the following Statement.

Dear compatriots, ladies and gentlemen! After the collapse of the Soviet Union Azerbaijan took the road of integration to the West and establishment of the Civil Society, but unfortunately the global geopolitical problems in the Caucasus Region, wars and domestic contradictions made by the forces who try to come to the power influenced negatively to the democratic development of the society and as the result: Authoritarian regime was established in the country; There were not set the democratic institutions; The unfair privatization was carried out under the “reforms”; By applying the most repressive form of the monopoly the economical wealth were misappropriated by the leaders of the regime; The state bodies were fully and completely made dependent on the will of the authoritarian regime and were moved for their personal security; The state bodies which should protect the interests of the people, has been changed to the repression instrument guarding the regime from the people; The state positions were distributed between the relatives of the Authoritarian regime, their friends and the ones who paid the great amount of the bribe; The settlement of the domestic and regional matters were made dependent of the interests of the Regime; By wrecking the national economy of Azerbaijan the Power began to increase its sums and to use them against the people; Through making the proper maneuvers the Power using the Caucasus regional problems temporarily diverted the attention of the International organizations from the domestic problems – including the mass infringement of the human rights and falsification, horrible corruption, by introducing itself as “a friend” of the West under the cause of ‘protection of the stability’ has once achieved the false elections, strengthened the illegal Power by means of changing into the Regime; The Regime stroke heavily against the Democratic powers of the country by means of some Russian security and proiranian forces, having their own interests in the region; The Regime nullified the activeness of the people immediately after the elections by taking the leaders into the prison, by the mass punishment measures, reduced their will and enthusiasm of struggle, made them leave the country for the best work and freedom (at the moment 3,5 million people of 8,0 million population of the country have left the country); The regime carrying out terror, repression and real war against their own compatriots and the independent press, afford itself to present the democracy like this. To think freely, to tell the truth and to write them during the authority of this Regime – could be compared as with walking in the mined area; Performing its work on fear and toadyism, the Regime also keeps the problem of Garabag like “the Syndrome of Fear”. By this way the Regime, terrifying the majority part of the population with the new war and failures, is not interested in return of more than 1 million people to their native lands. It prevents the socio-political tension by the refugees, being the subjects of the repression and poverty; Bringing the people to the condition of paralysis by the companies and organizations everywhere throughout the country belonging to the members of the Regime, making the superficial obstacles of the life in the sphere of the work, education, health, security, gas, electricity, water and other problems, they annihilate the actives and leader men. At present everyone in Azerbaijan has got a plenty of human problems and they raise their voices of PROTEST against the injustice in the society; The stability in Azerbaijan is humiliating. The situation in the country may come to the critical level as the result of the destructive activity of the forces inside the Regime and the anger of the people who live with a lot of problems for many years. The defeated side here will at the end be the Azerbaijani people, democracy in the Region, the Human Rights, integration to the West, Civil Society and the democratic processes! The repressive destructive local and foreign forces, having their own interests in the Region may infringe the superficial stability in the region using the regime’s antidemocratic policy and inner clan intrigues. All these upper goings causes the PROTEST of the members of the ‘PROTEST’ movement being the Constitutional and civil Movement in order to establish the normal civil society in Azerbaijan: The upper going matters and hundreds of problems which we have not noted here in order to overcome the anticipated tragedies and fighting against the breech of the Human Rights and anti democracy, ‘the Protest’ movement hopes to make constructive reforms to change the existing state in the society and offers: First of all the public TV should be set up in the shortest possible time and its finance should be reached to the level of the state TV. The election Commission and the election Legislation should be properly changed and they should be coordinated with the UNO standards. The repressions and ugly black plans against the Mass Media should be stopped at once. The government should guarantee the security of the opposition trended journalists and freely thinking people and all the court claims raised against the newspapers should be nullified. All the political prisoners should be freed from the prisons and the ugly conditions in the prisons should be improved. The high state functionaries, who have ‘gained’ the hatred of the people, should voluntarily resign or the president of the country in accordance with the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic. As the president of all the citizen of the country should send them to the resignation, taking the support from the people and the political parties. There should be determined the working term in the main state posts and the youth should be attracted to the state works. There should be declared the national reconciliation in the country, the priorities should be determined and there should be started the democratic election company. The repressive state functionaries, who have made heavy state crimes, should be duly punished. There should be determined the foreign and domestic political doctrine of the country, should be achieved the real, profound peace and cooperation. In the management, education, public health, customs, army, administrative structures, court legislation, cultural valuables and in other areas there should be carried out substantial reforms and everything should be brought to the due level for the sake of our state and citizens’ interests. Everybody should have equal rights. The country leader also should feel himself not as a monarch heir, but a man elected by the citizens of the country.

The Human Rights, Democracy, Social Fair, Civil Society and economical development should become reality in Azerbaijan. Openness, Transparency, Humanism and Fair will be the ordinary and necessary standards.

PROTESTING against the injustice, we demand: For the sake of the free word: Public Television!

For the normal life: Democracy!

For our freedom: Election opportunity!

For the people: Human Rights!

For Mass Media: Stop Pressure!

For Azerbaijan: Civil Society! ON BEHALF OF THE PROTESTERS Joshgun Feyzullayev Director of “SHRVAN” Human Rights Resource Center