My personal blog, my thoughts.
In late September Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote an article Nagorno-Karabakh: A Year of U.S. Failure in the South Caucasus.
Read more “Aliyev is turning into Saddam Hussein”
A vast network of offshore companies, administered by service provider Trident Trust and fronted by a small group of trusted cronies, helped the Aliyevs secretly own vast real estate holdings in the British capital.
Read more “Azerbaijan’s Ruling Aliyev Family and Their Associates Acquired Dozens of Prime London Properties Worth Nearly $700 Million”
The closure of Armenia’s main north-south highway has continued into its second day, in what appears to be yet another instrument of pressure that Azerbaijan is using on Yerevan in order to exact further concessions following its victory in last year’s war.
Read more “Azerbaijan’s blockade of southern Armenia continues”
Baku is attempting to assert sovereignty through force and ethnic cleansing while denying Armenians the right to self-determination.
Read more “Peace on Azerbaijan’s Terms Won’t End the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict”
While the outbreak of war sparked an outburst of nationalism and hatred in Armenia and Azerbaijan, a handful of voices on each side instead chose to advocate for peace. In Azerbaijan in particular, these figures have suffered heavy social media harassment, including death threats, and in some cases pressure from the authorities. A new word was coined: “novarçı,” or “no-warist,” referring to the “no war” Facebook profile image that many of them used.
Read more “Azerbaijan’s peace activists face harassment, and a reckoning”
At £ 400 a night, the Sofitel on the man-made Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is not cheap. Vacationers are drawn to the beachfront suites, 24-hour butler service, a choice of six outdoor pools and 500 meters (1,640 feet) of white sand reserved for guests.
Read more “Children of the President of Azerbaijan and the Dubai Real Estate Empire”
The reason for the inspiration of the Azerbaijani leadership is the passivity of the Armenian leadership. The first Ombudsman of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan expressed a similar opinion to NovostiNK.
Read more “Without emphasizing the fact of Aliyev’s crimes, Yerevan gives him additional reasons to continue terrorist activities”
This May, three top OCCRP editors flew to Ankara to meet a woman they hadn’t seen in years. Khadija Ismayilova is Azerbaijan’s most renowned investigative journalist, a longtime colleague, and a close old friend: practically family. For her pioneering work, she had spent 18 months in prison and five more years under a travel ban. But now she was finally free.
Read more “Life in Azerbaijan’s Digital Autocracy: ‘They Want to be in Control of Everything’”
In Azerbaijan, a commotion began because of the backpacks that appeared on sale, which seemed to some frightened buyers to be Armenian-made products.
Read more “Panic in Azerbaijan. Attack of Armenian backpacks!”
Mikaela Jav, a well-known DJ, liked to show off for her fans online. In one sultry Facebook photo, she appears in red and white lingerie, channeling a seductive Mrs. Claus.
Read more “Azerbaijani Couple, Including President’s Cousin, Owns Properties Worth Millions in London and Ibiza”