CENSORSHIP IN AUGUST 2020

7 August

The books promoting radicalism are restricted to be imported into Azerbaijan

The State Committee for Work with Religious Structures

According to the Report.az agency, Jahandar Alifzade, the Head of the Department of Organizational work with the religious structures of the State Committee for Work with Religious Structures (SCWRO) stated that during the period from January to June 2020, based on the appeals received by SCWRO it was examined 1.732 books with religious content and 21 books sponsoring religious intolerance, discrimination and radicalism were prevented from importing into the country.

The SCWRO official also pointed out that out of 73 titles of religious literature submitted for printing, one was turned down. The control stickers were issued for 176 titles of religious books.

The law enforcement authorities found that out of 115 titles of religious literature and related materials, 26 were imported or produced without proper authorization. At the same time, three specialized outlets were authorized in the past period.

CENSORSHIP IN FEBRUARY 2020

24 February

Religious book confiscated and burnt

The burned book “A Guide for Preachers: 1,221 examples and sayings from the Prologue and the Patericon”

On 20 February, the State Customs Committee noted on its website that it had that day destroyed thousands of items seized at its border posts. The items were burnt in a pit, with cameras to film the event as numerous officers and other onlookers watched.

Among the destroyed items was a Georgian translation of a Russian Orthodox book “A Guide for Preachers: 1,221 examples and sayings from the Prologue and the Patericon” by Russian Orthodox priest Fr Mark Lozinsky. (The original Russian text was first published in 1996 in Russia, 23 years after Fr Lozinsky’s death.)

According to the Forum 18, the assistant (who did not give his name) to a deputy head of the State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General Asgar Abdullayev, appeared not to be aware of the destruction of the Georgian Orthodox book. But he insisted that seizing religious literature from individuals entering or leaving Azerbaijan does not constitute censorship.

“Under our laws, all religious books need approval from the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations,” Abdullayev’s assistant told Forum 18 on 24 February. He claimed that any religious books seized from individuals entering Azerbaijan are held at customs for them to collect when they leave. The assistant could not explain how the Georgian Orthodox book had ended up being destroyed.

Following criticism of the destruction of the Georgian Orthodox book on Georgian websites and social media and Forum 18’s questions to Abdullayev’s assistant, the photo showing the destroyed Georgian Orthodox book was removed from the 20 February article on the State Customs Committee website about the destruction of seized items.