What me, donkey?
We are upto our ears about what democracy should mean in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan! But what about democracy in tiny places, no one has heard about?
Like little authoritarian Azerbaijan, sandwiched between Russia, Turkey and Iran. In Azerbaijan, it took a donkey and some bloggers to get everybody yakking about the state of the nation.
CNN reports that two satirical bloggers who staged an interview with a donkey were sent to prison in Azerbaijan Wednesday, following a two-month trial for assault. The bloggers’ actual crime that ticked off the authorities?
The interview with the donkey!
Bloggers Adnan Hadjizadeh and Emin Milli satirized Azerbaijan’s government in a popular YouTube video shortly before they were arrested, says CNN.
“There was a report by the government statistics bureau that the government bought two donkeys from Germany” for an exorbitant sum, Hikmet Hadjizadeh of Human Rights Watch said. “Of course this is money-laundering.”
So Hadjizadeh and Milli staged a press conference and interviewed a donkey, he said.
The super funny press conference (it gets hysterical mid-way) raises questions about the government’s dealings and the way NGO’s are treated in that country.
And like any self-respecting authoritarian regime, Azerbaijan, kicked up a ruckus, clamped down on these bloggers and thew them in jail.
The bloggers plan to appeal their detention, but human rights watchers doubt there will be fair trial.
Azerbaijan is due to go to the polls next year, but in the absence of a free media, it’s anyone’s guess how fair they will be.
Hurray! Yet another corrupt, authoritarian regime! How the world needs you now!
Main takeaway from this story: Poop! You know your country needs to re-evaluate it’s political system, when you’re getting your knickers in a twist about a man in a donkey-suit giving an interview!
