Analysts have linked the persecution of Talysh activists to their struggle for rights.

Despite the absence of formal discrimination based on nationality, activists and researchers working on the ethnic and cultural rights of national minorities in Azerbaijan often come under pressure from the authorities, according to human rights lawyer Samad Rahimli. Facebook* users actively discussed the status of the state language and the rights of national minorities.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on June 11, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld the sentence of Talysh culture researcher Igbal Abilov. Abilov called the court's refusal to provide a Talysh interpreter, as well as the persecution itself, discrimination against the Talysh. The defense intends to file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.

Analysts have linked the persecution of Talysh activists to the protection of ethnocultural rights

Human rights activists attribute this policy to the state's long-standing suspicious attitude toward any activity affecting national identity, and point to the cases of several Talysh activists and scholars included in the list of political prisoners.

"In Azerbaijan, Talysh people or representatives of other national minorities are not persecuted simply because they belong to this ethnic group. The authorities persecute individuals who are active in defending ethnic or "cultural rights. In this sense, there is no discrimination based on nationality. The same Talysh people can occupy high positions in business and government," human rights lawyer Samad Rahimli told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"However, if someone focuses on ethnic and cultural rights, they may face pressure. The same applies, by the way, to Shiite believers, who are the religious majority. They can practice religion and attend mosques, but as soon as they engage in religious activism, they are immediately subject to persecution and arrest," Rahimli added.

According to him, the policy he outlined regarding national minorities has been carried out in Azerbaijan since the 1930s.

"Even during the Stalinist period in Azerbaijan A policy of assimilating Muslim national minorities into the titular nation was pursued. This continued after the country regained its independence in the early 1990s. This was largely due to Armenian separatism in Karabakh. The Azerbaijani authorities feared new hotbeds of aggressive separatism and therefore viewed national rights movements as potential threats to statehood," the lawyer noted.

"The attempt to create the autonomous entity of the Talysh-Mugan Republic in 1992 further tightened state policy in this direction. Therefore, any activity aimed at developing ethnic rights, scientific research, and cultural events aroused the state's suspicion. And the most zealous officials and security forces periodically identified "separatists," and over the past 20 years, arrests have been made and lengthy prison sentences have followed for a number of Talysh scholars and activists," he added.

Rahimli named the arrest of Talysh culture researcher Igbal Abilov as one of the most recent examples of such cases.

"This young scholar was arrested on charges of treason, inciting ethnic hatred, and open calls against the state. However, these charges were based on his academic ties to Armenian citizens. Therefore, the legal validity of the charges is questionable. Abilov's case has caused a great stir among the international human rights and scientific communities, who are convinced that the young scholar is being persecuted specifically for his research into Talysh culture," Rahimli said.

Another Baku-based analyst examines the cases of Talysh activists in the general context of human rights violations in Azerbaijan.

"For the authorities, the motives of citizens' activism make no difference, whether they are demanding free elections or defending The rights of individual groups—political, ethnic, religious, gender, or LGBT*. If a citizen is active, resists, or protests, then they are dangerous and should be "isolated." I would view the cases of Talysh activists and researchers from this perspective," said an expert who wished to remain anonymous.

He also noted the "particular sensitivity" of cases involving representatives of national minorities, and in particular the Talysh, whom pro-government propaganda portrays as "separatists."

A post by the "Caucasian Knot" on Facebook* about the Supreme Court's upholding of Igbal Abilov's sentence sparked a lively discussion about the status of the state language, the rights of national minorities, and the assessment of the defendant's actions. Most participants in the discussion focused on the issue of language policy. 395 users commented on the publication.

The obligation to know the state language

Commentators repeatedly emphasized that a citizen of the country must speak the state language and use it in official proceedings.

"He is a citizen of Azerbaijan. No matter what minority he belongs to, he must speak the state language," said Cəmilə Şıxməmmədova.

"Any citizen of the country is obliged to know the official language of the country," wrote Gunel Akhmadova.

Doubts about discrimination

Some of the comments asked what specific instances of discrimination were meant.

"And also, how is there discrimination against the Talysh? What facts did he cite? In our country, not a single citizen has been fired from a job, denied admission to a university, etc. based on their ethnicity. So what kind of discrimination is this? Are they forbidden from speaking their native language? Let them speak with their family, friends, and relatives. Who's against it?" wrote Samiha Rahimova.

"I don't quite understand, what exactly is the discrimination? They're not selling him bread? Or maybe they're not hiring him? Or maybe they're not allowing him to live in the same building with Azerbaijanis?", noted user Irina Sharanova.

Mentions of separatism

A number of comments included accusations of separatism.

"Are they playing the separatist cards again? When will they back off?" wrote Ay Isayeva.

"There is no place for separatists in Azerbaijan," said user Ramiz Fətəli.

"Does Abilov really think that with his separatist activities he can divide Azerbaijan into small khanates of the Talysh, Lezgins, Tats, and so on?" asked Rufi Mansur.

"These so-called cultural researchers are separatists. Corrupt, carrying out orders from one force or another. They only cause instability and ethnic strife," noted Nil Ufer.

The Talysh Self-Determination Debate

Amid the criticism, another point of view was voiced.

"He simply wants the Talysh to live in Azerbaijan the same way small peoples live in other countries. You don't need a higher education to understand this," wrote Eldeniz Kerimov.

"Until this world learns to respect everyone who lives on this Earth, it can hardly be called civilized," pointed out Firida Avidzba.

"The Talysh problem didn't arise yesterday, and I don't think the people of Azerbaijan don't know anything about it," said Marina Pitskhelauri.

Security services are prepared to "go to great lengths" when they detect incitement to interethnic hatred and separatism in publications about the history, culture, and problems of national minorities, says orientalist and political scientist Zardusht Alizade, director of the School of Democratic Journalism. However, he does not believe the persecution of Talysh activists is specifically aimed at the ethnic group.

"In Azerbaijan, the authorities violate the rights of not only representatives of national minorities, but also the majority. Ethnicity in this sense is irrelevant to the regime. The most important thing for the authorities is that people do not demand, do not defend their rights, and do not interfere with officials' uncontrolled use of the country's resources," he previously told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Alizade recalled that representatives of national minorities are rightfully demanding that their rights be guaranteed by the country's Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms.

* The LGBT movement is recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation.

** The activities of Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.