The country is shutting down, next stop: Darkness…

IHR
2 minutes ago
2 min read

Jailed journalist Fatima Movlamli speaks out from custody against the absurd arrest of PFPA Chairman Ali Karimli and Mammad Ibrahim. She calls the dictatorship cooperation charges "fabrication" and warns, "The country is closing down, facing endless darkness.” Read her full, urgent letter. — Fatima Movlamli

Fatima Movlamli, a journalist detained in the Meydan TV case, shares her thoughts on Ali Karimli's arrest from the Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center, where she is currently held.

The following is her article, presented without changes:

“The arrest of the PFPA Chairman Ali Karimli and PFPA Supreme Assembly Secretary Mammad Ibrahim in connection with the 'Ramiz Mehdiyev Case' caused me deep regret. One is truly baffled. After all, what sane person would believe that Ali Karimli, the PFPA as a whole, and the National Council leadership would enter into criminal cooperation with one of the main architects of the dictatorship currently reigning in the country? Even lies have a degree of shame. This is no longer just a lie, but an example of shamelessness demonstrated at the state level.

Speaking of shamelessness, I must make a small digression here. It is impossible to watch the smear campaigns conducted by the government media against Ali Karimli and the PFPA without feeling nauseated. Just as authoritarianism is experiencing its most brutal period in Azerbaijan's history, the country's media has become uglier than ever. In these days when real, unbiased journalists who write and show only the truth are being slandered and sent to prison, the sycophancy of those presented on screen in the name of journalists has become irrational. But I have bad news: People are not stupid. That is, by writing "Ali Karimli's connection with Ramiz Mehdiyev has been revealed" in large fonts on the screen and showering strange insults on the people you are slandering, you cannot inspire a sense of trust in anyone. The people are as certain that you are lying as they are certain that you are not journalists.

The accusations leveled by the Azerbaijani government against PFPA Chairman Ali Karimli, the party, and the National Council leadership are so absurd that they could be considered the dictionary definition of the word 'fabrication.' This new wave of repression is nothing more than another total assault aimed at silencing critical, rightful voices. In short, the country is closing down, and the next stop is a darkness with no end in sight.”

Fatima Movlamli Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center