Azerbaijan gives in to Turkish demands, seizes ‘prohibited books’

In Baku, houses of suspected supporters of Fethullah Gülen searched

In the villages of Sakhil and Lokbatan, during searches carried out in the houses of five supporters of preacher Fethullah Gülen, law enforcers discovered prohibited books. This was reported by the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan.

Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the United States, is accused by the Turkish authorities of organization of an armed coup committed at night of July 16. Fethullah Gülen himself has declared that he denied those accusations. On August 15, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office declared that it instituted criminal proceedings against supporters of Fethullah Gülen in the country. According to the opposition, the law enforcement bodies use alleged connection with Fethullah Gülen as motives for arrests of activists.

In the village of Sakhil, during a search carried out in the house of Rizvan Gamidov, staff members of the Police Department for the Garadag District found 159 copies of books and 9 magazines, the promotion and dissemination of which were prohibited. In the village of Lokbatan, in the house of Ilkin Ibragimov, law enforcers found and seized 14 books, in the house of Samir Ibragimov 17 books, in the house of Terikhanym Ibragimova 10 books, and in the house of Gandab Guseinova 15 copies of books, the "APA" reports today with reference to the law enforcement bodies.

Source: http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/37315/

© Caucasian Knot

Russians: You lost, we expelled your ancestors. Get over it

Circassians: Not blood likely.

“Circassians were once the largest ethnic group in the North Caucasus and dominated the region, especially the central and the western parts. However, after the Russian state conquered the region in a long and bloody war that spanned the 18th and 19th centuries, the Circassians were reduced to a small ethnic group in the area. After dealing the final blow to Circassian forces near modern-day Sochi in 1864, the Russian government expelled the remaining Circassian population and replaced them with Cossacks and ethnic Russians, who were quickly dispatched to the area. By 1870, an estimated 2 percent of the Circassians’ prewar population remained in their homeland (Onkavkaz.com, December 1). The rest were either killed, starved to death or expelled to the Ottoman Empire. Currently, the Circassian diaspora in Turkey is several times larger than the Circassian population remaining in the North Caucasus. Even within the North Caucasus, the Circassians are split among four regions, which also irritates many Circassian activists.

“Discussion of their lost homeland has become especially popular among Circassians due to the ongoing war in Syria, which has influenced Circassian self-consciousness in a big way. Since Syria used to be part of the Ottoman Empire, it had a substantial Circassian population. After the war started there, Circassians pushed for the evacuation of the estimated 100,000 Circassians in the affected areas. However, Moscow allowed only a handful of the Syrian Circassians—about 1,000—to resettle in their homeland. Moreover, they do not have full residency rights, and constantly have to pay various fees as temporary residents (Facebook.com/psekups.kulokova, December 1).”

http://www.jamestown.org/regions/thecaucasus/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=44878&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=54&cHash=1a7e41e61923fdc3316cfdc64af0ddc4#.VmxUq2DMs5s

Caucasus migration threatens Russian security

Under the Soviet system, movement was strictly controlled. Now, though, Russians are moving back to Russia, non-Russians are sneaking into Russia for work, and Muslims leave Russia for Syria and Iraq.

The latter movement is of greatest concern. “It involves those who have gone to Syria or elsewhere in the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State or other radical groups and who are then returning home, where they will continue their fight or recruit others. Russian officials, from President Vladimir Putin on down, suggest that there are only a few thousand of these, but regional experts say that Moscow is understating the problem by a factor of at least ten. The Kremlin says there are only 500 Dagestanis in the ranks of the Islamic State; whereas, local experts say the figure is 5,000 or even more (Onkavkaz.com, December 7).”

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=44873&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7#.VmiZ8WDMs5s

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has a number of stories concerning Islamist attacks in North Caucasus.

http://www.rferl.org/section/North_Caucasus/167.html

Ceremony marks liberation of Azeri villages from Armenian invasion

“January 5-6 mark the anniversary of liberation of part of Fizuli region from the Armenian occupation.

“In 1994, 21 settlements and Horadiz village of Fizuli region were liberated thanks to a successful operation of the Azerbaijani armed forces.”

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“The Azerbaijani army achieved this success thanks to national leader Heydar Aliyev, whose visit to the battle ground raised soldiers` moral spirits, the speakers said.”

http://www.today.az/news/politics/138190.html

(In the Caucasus, memories are as old as history. In the 1990s, people who had been under Russian Soviet subjection for 70 years took up left-behind arms and continued their ethnic wars from centuries ago.)

Other headlines: Armenians violate ceasefire with Azerbaijan; Azerbaijan warns Armenia against targeting civilians; Washington voice concern over growing tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh; Baku blames Yerevan for insecurity in region.

Also, Georgia has given Ukraine much humanitarian medical aid, and Russia has cut wheat exports to Georgia. Georgia receives about 90 percent of its imported wheat from Russia.