The other day I had the opportunity to go to the Tully Award for Free Speech Ceremony. This year’s award was presented to Idrak Abbasov, a reporter from the small nation of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a nation of approximately nine million people and is located in the Caucasus region of the Middle East that straddles the boundaries of Europe and Asia. The nation is a former Soviet Bloc country and today suffers from corrupt leadership in the form of rigged elections and bribes for criminals and workers, as well as its main issue: poor first amendment rights. The country is extremely limited on free speech, press rights and the ability to socialize through the Internet. It also does not help that few Newspapers, radio or TV stations or any communication media are privately owned. The majority are state owned and thus are subjected to the will of the government and not the people or a private entity. This problem of identity and free speech is what nearly cost Idrak his life in April 2012.
Idrak was severely beaten for speaking out against the government and for “what was right”. In today’s day it is hard to imagine life without free speech or press, let alone the ability to speak your mind. In Azerbaijan this issue has gotten out of hand. Homes have been destroyed, criminals have got away with murder, and people are beaten every day for telling their side of a story. Idrak suffered two broken ribs, a nearly blind eye and kidney damage that still haunts him today, as the cold weather in Syracuse that night had led to massive discomfort. With that said, they also destroyed his car, his camera, and took away his footage. This man is the definition of a true journalist: a person who risks everything to tell a story and inform the public of wrongdoings. I learned what it takes to be a great journalist, even if it was through an interpreter, and learned that life is not always easy for anyone, especially if their opinions can cost them their life. It cost Idrak’s friend his life and still haunts him to this day. With that said I am very happy I was able to attend this event.
When asked if the situation in Azerbaijan would get better, Idrak said, “No, it will get worse.” Lets hope this is not the case as stories and truth are necessary components to daily life. Journalists’’ prison sentences should be an after thought in today’s day in age.