Various comments were made in the Turkish media regarding the presidential elections recently held in Azerbaijan. The most interesting of these was the comment of Acar and Muhammed Acar, an employee of Kanalon4, known for his closeness to Iran, who describes himself as a commentator on his YouTube channel. In the video published on the Acar Media YouTube channel with the title "Elections in Azerbaijan/Being an opposition in Azerbaijan/The effects of Azerbaijani foreign policy on the region", Muhammed Acar voiced his own comments on these issues.
Faktyoxla Lab. has investigated whether Muhammed Acar's comments are based on reality.
When we watch the program, we see that Muhammed Acar starts his speech by making inappropriate comments about the elections held in Azerbaijan, the holding of these elections in a democratic environment, and the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. In fact, this is not the first biased and spiteful program Muhammed Acar has made about Azerbaijan. Acar, who previously voiced incredible claims against Azerbaijan in videos titled "Azerbaijan-Israel relations/Much deeper than it seems (research)", "Friend to Israel, enemy to Iran: Azerbaijan/Agenda comment", this time, too, made unnecessary insinuations.
Wishing that the elections would be beneficial for the region, the commentator also made some references to being an oppositionist in Azerbaijan. Now let's talk about Muhammed Acar's claims about the opposition in Azerbaijan.
Claim 1: There is no real opposition in Azerbaijan:
To answer Muhammed Acar's claim, it is enough to look at what Azerbaijan experienced during the independence process. One of the most important factors that draw the positive image of the concept of state in modern and independent Azerbaijan is undoubtedly the understanding of democracy in the country. As in every election, everyone who wants to be a candidate is given the opportunity under legal conditions in the favorable environment created in these elections. The Azerbaijani administration understands very well that the democratic development in the country, as well as the protection of human rights and freedoms, are the basic conditions for integration into the democracy existing in the world, and therefore everyone who wants to become a candidate has exercised this right freely and within the framework of the law.
Moreover, today there are enough political parties and non-governmental organizations operating in Azerbaijan, which shows that the situation in Azerbaijan is not as deplorable as Muhammed Acar claims. Maybe he equates the concepts of democracy and opposition with chaos and anarchy, but we think that it is his problem.
Claim 2: Claim about the existence of religious opponents in Azerbaijan and the fact that this opposition faces bans:
Although this claim has been used against Azerbaijan for years, it is the most absurd claim we have ever heard. To explain the reason, the simplest thing is that the people of Azerbaijan have believed in the religion of Islam for centuries, and this people have reached the level of moral perfection with their national spiritual values, and one of the elements underlying these values is undoubtedly the religion of Islam.
Moreover, considering the geopolitical location of the country and the fact that various nations and religions have lived in brotherhood for centuries, it is a fact that should be known that the values existing here cannot be disrupted by any power. While people in the country live in brotherhood, peace and stability, the efforts of some forces that intend to disrupt this stability to form a fifth column have never been accepted by the public.
There are accusations that there is a ban on headscarves in a society where everyone respects each other's beliefs, and that the detention of people such as Movsum Samadov and Taleh Bagirov, whose names were mentioned by Muhammed Acar, who were arrested, is working to change the state structure of the country and that the freedom of belief and expression is restricted. It is unbecoming and a clear violation of the principle of impartiality, which is one of the fundamental principles of journalism.
Claim 3: The claim that Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations are not based on brotherhood relations, but on the relations between the presidents of the two countries, namely Aliyev and Erdogan...
Yes, in terms of timing, the AK Party's coming to power in Türkiye and Mr. Ilham Aliyev's coming to power in Azerbaijan may coincide with the same period, but the issue here is definitely not and cannot be that the existing ties between the two brother countries are based only on their personal relations.
If Muhammed Acar had known that National Leader Heydar Aliyev stated that the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan are friendly and brotherly countries and expressed how much importance our country attaches to relations with Türkiye from the first days,
and if we go back even further than that, when Nariman Narimanov told Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: “There is a tradition in the Turkic nation; a brother does not lend money to a brother, a brother holds his brother's hand in every situation. We are brothers, we will always hold your hand, we will hold each other's hands at all times and under all circumstances,”
and further, in the Turkish War of Independence, when aid delegations of the Baku Muslim Charitable Society went to all occupied places in Türkiye and not only provided food and clothing, but also tried to protect their rights and laws, he would not have made such absurd claims.
Conclusion:
-The allegations made by Muhammed Acar about Azerbaijan on the Acar Media YouTube channel are not new and completely unfounded.
-Muhammed Acar's claim that there is no democracy and basic human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan is just his imagination.
-In Azerbaijan, every person has the right to vote and be elected by legal means, and these rights are never violated, on the contrary, they are encouraged,
- Although Azerbaijani officials do not interfere with the people's freedom of religion and conscience, they want this process to proceed in a healthy way,
-Various opposition political parties and non-governmental organizations continue their activities within the borders of Azerbaijan without encountering any obstacles.
-Azerbaijan-Türkiye ties were definitely not built on personal relations, nor can they be evaluated through Aliyev-Erdogan relations.
- Finally, Muhammed Acar defends those who “speak softly but carry a big stick” in relation to Azerbaijan with these unfounded claims.
