With less than six months to go before the country's presidential elections, a pornographic web site containing content that targets opposition politicians and other public figures critical of the government has been created in Azerbaijan.
Called İctimayi Palatka (Public Tent), the site features hard-porn videos allegedly showing prominent individuals ranging from Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan leader Ali Kerimli to investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova* supposedly engaged in sexual intercourse.
While it is clear that the individuals shown in the videos do not represent the people named ( the materials appear to have been filched from foreign porn sites ), the video captions create a different impression.
The site, launched over a month ago, does not contain information about its owners and employees; the “contacts” section lists only a Gmail address.
No one has yet taken responsibility for İctimayi Palatka and its content.
Interference into private lives and the distribution of pornographic materials via media and the Internet are both criminal offenses under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code (Article 163 and Article 242), which carry prison terms of several years.
The General Prosecutor’s office, however, has not yet opened a criminal investigation and has not responded publicly to the illegal site. Spokesperson Eldar Sultanov told EurasiaNet.org that the office has no information about İctimayiPalatka, and declined to comment further.
The portal appears to function and be constantly updated without problems.
Ironically, İctimayi Palatka appeared as parliament prepares to amend legislation to impose criminal liability for online defamation and libel. The draft changes were approved in committee on April 30, and a parliamentary vote is expected on May 7.
The site is not the first porn scandal in Azerbaijan. The private TV station Lider, owned by a relative of President Ilham Aliyev, has broadcast “soft” porn of secretly taped videos of opposition activists that sparked public protests. Later, such videos moved online.
İctimayiPalatka’s appearance comes amidst growing concerns from the international community about Azerbaijan’s respect for civil rights and, in particular, media rights.
On April 26, Kevin Klose, acting president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, issued a statement demanding from “Azerbaijani officials and personally from President Ilham Aliyev” to stop attacking Ismayilova, and another Azerbaijani employee of the broadcaster, Yafez Hasanov.
Ismayilova was targeted last year by another sexual smear campaign following her investigation into business dealings by President Aliyev’s family.
"These are actions of a deliberate and serious nature that the Azeri authorities must take very seriously, especially since many directly or indirectly suggest the involvement or endorsement of official Azeri entities and agents," asserted Klose.
As yet, there has been no official response made public.
*Khadija Ismayilova has worked as a reporter for EurasiaNet.org, including on joint stories with Shahin Abbasov.
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