Rafiq Tagi: Revenge and Defamation

On November 19 evening, on the way home,  a known publicist Rafiq Tagi was attacked by unknown individuals, who stabbed him eight wounds. Tagi was taken to hospital and underwent surgery. His health remains serious.

The very first thing that comes to mind is a version of revenge by Islamist against Rafiq Tagi for insulting a Muslim world five years ago.

Rafiq Tagi has initiated a serious tension in the Azerbaijani society in autumn 2006, when, in his article "Europe and We" he subjected to humiliating criticism the Islam religion.

The article was published on the November 16th issue of “Sanat” (Art) newspaper, which was a platform for expression for rebellious creative people. “Philosophical Essays”, this is how Tagi called his short article, appeared under the influence of the cartoon-scandal which  then covered the world.

"Compared with Jesus, the prophet Mohammed was a terrible person, who gave rise to the practice of sanctioning religious wars", Tagi claimed in his article. In his view, morality in Islam is trickery, humanism in Islam does not cause any trust, and that Islam is a form (modification) of oriental despotism.

 In general, the article is the author's eulogy of Eurocentrism. He believes that Europe is a missed opportunity of the East, and that the East and did not accept, or did not want to learn "freedom of individual." In the article the  author expressed his understanding of the realities of modern Azerbaijan, and he was guided by the following theses: “If the heads of the Azerbaijani government are Muslims, then I am a Pope”, “Azeri Turks, even those who live in a radical Shiite Iran, in fact are the Europeans.”

That small article by Tagi, according to its scenario, was a deliberate contrast and incorrect representation of the theme "East-West". In his interpretation, the comparison was made in favor of the West (Europe), due to unbridled defamation of East (Islam).

According to the version Tagi, "the West (in the person of Christian Europe) is the cradle of almost all the positive values of humanity, including an undoubted source of progress," and East ( in the face of Islam) appears as a source of wars, despotism, ignorance, intolerance, etc.

The author, no doubt, wrote in a populist genre, too freely (and therefore vulgar and superficial) based on scientific data. It should be noted that R. Tagi used to afford himself this kind of "controversial" speech.

The first man who  responded to the article was the  head of  the Caucasian Muslims  Department (CMD) Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade; on November 10  he appealed to the Press Council  with request to take  necessary measures against the  "Senet"  newspaper and  the author of the article "Europe and We" for showing disrespect to the Prophet Mohammed. On the same day a mass rally  took place in the village of Nardaran,  and the participants  regarded  the article as a continuation of anti-Islamic campaign launched in Europe - a wave of insults  against the prophet, and sentenced Tagi to  "death."

Rafiq Tagi and  the editor of "Senet" newspaper  Samir Huseynov (Sadagatoglu) were arrested on November 15 under the Article 283.1, "inciting national, racial and religious hatred." Before that, they stayed under home arrest under the supervision of staff of the National Security Ministry to protect them. In May 2007 the court sentenced Tagi  to 3 years, and Huseinov to four years in prison. On the eve of 2008 the president pardoned them and three other journalists: Yashar Aghazadeh, Rovshan Kebirli and Faramaz Allahverdiyev.

 That time  the analysts of  Turan agency came to the conclusion that there was a "complex plot" with different versions of the game:

- aggravation of  relations between the government and Islamist groups, that resulted in the closure of mosques and restriction of  the assembly of believers

- a new wave of pressure on the media, which started with the murder of Elmar Huseynov, the editor of the "Monitor" magazine.

- tight control over the activities of opposition political parties, and unreliable  NGOs.

According to the Media Rights Institute, by the end of 2007, the number of cases on defamation, increased by 10 times, compared with 2005. Most lawsuits were  filed mainly  by officials.

It was a time when the West consistently pressured the Azerbaijani government, demanding to pass a law on the abolition of criminal defamation, which would put an end to arrests of journalists for their professional activities.

Last spring the authorities  promised to pass the law by the  end of the year, but instead, launched new trials and arrests of bloggers (for disturbing public order, drugs), and those who criticized  the authorities, the chief editor of "Khural" Avaz Zeynalli (extortion.)

As in 2006, now  authorities again speak  about the threat of uncontrollable situation that may be caused by the abolition of criminal responsibility for defamation. According to the  version of  authorities, in eastern society, where the code of honor is guarded by blood, the arrest of journalists, and  saves them from physical harm by those who had been insulted by publications. The arrest of Zeynalli has been dictated by this motive. The main applicant against Zeynalli,  the deputy of parliament Gular Ahmedova, who was elected to the parliament as a result of dishonest elections,  and without any  evidence, alleged that she  had to appeal to the Ministry of National Security, and the Prosecutor Office to prevent the lynching  of Zeynalli by her son for defamation.

In February 2012 a special representative of the OSCE  for Freedom of the Media Dunya Miyatovic is to arrive in Baku to have talks with the Azerbaijani authorities; she will speak about the promised abolition of prosecution for defamation. There is no doubt that an attempt  on Tagi and  the case on  Zeynalli will become new arguments by  authorities to postpone the application of defamation  for future, when the question on protection honor  will not  be topical in Azerbaijani society.

 The version of Islamic "vendetta" in the  case of Tagi is observed very weakly. The abuser  of believers was released almost four years ago. And if to take into account that the verdict of Islamists was “emotional”, the retribution would be more earlier ,than  four years later, in the period of new attacks on the press and political opponents.

This is  what the  Chechens  did to the Russian Colonel Budanov, who was assassinated shortly after his release from prison for raping and murdering a Chechen girl.

Motives of attack on Tagi could clarify the disclosure of the crime, but practice shows that the executors and those who ordered the actions against journalists remain out of law and blood feuds.