BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijan’s
law‑enforcement agencies continue to implement consistent and
systematic measures aimed at preventing extremism, political
analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
“Terror, translated from Latin, means fear and panic, and acts
carried out on this basis are classified as serious and especially
serious crimes depending on their nature and degree of public
danger. In our country, the provisions regarding the fight against
terrorism are reflected in the law of Azerbaijan ‘On combating
terrorism’, adopted on June 18, 1999. The law establishes the legal
and organizational foundations of the fight against terrorism in
Azerbaijan, coordinates the activities of bodies responsible for
combating terrorism, and defines their legal duties, as well as
those of citizens (the law consists of five chapters and 22
articles, with amendments added on October 5, 2001). The law
provides the following definition of terrorism: terrorism is an act
or a threat of explosion, arson, or other actions that endanger
human life on a mass scale, harm health, destroy (damage) property,
or pursue other grave consequences for the purpose of violating
public safety, intimidating the population, or influencing
decision‑making by public authorities or international
organizations,” he said.
According to him, terrorism is divided into two forms:
international (transnational) and domestic (national). Based on
motives, it is classified into social, nationalist,
territorial‑separatist, and religious‑discriminatory forms.
“These types include:
Social terrorism — its subjects are ultra‑left groups (including
communist, radical socialist, anarchist, etc.) and ultra‑right
groups (neo‑national‑socialist, fascist, etc.);
Nationalist terrorism — arising from ethnopolitical conflicts,
carried out by political movements, separate organizations, and
groups;
Territorial‑separatist terrorism — whose subjects include
well‑known terrorist organizations formed in Karabakh, an ancient
territory of Azerbaijan, especially the ‘Nagorno Karabakh Army’
terrorist organization;
Religious‑discriminatory terrorism — extremist groups formed
based on religious intolerance, which have become a major topic of
global concern today.
Measures to combat terrorism include legal, protective‑regime,
operational‑search, and preventive actions, and are carried out for
the following purposes:
Ensuring human rights and freedoms, as well as the security of
society and the state;
Detecting and preventing terrorism, minimizing possible
damage;
Preventing the emergence, financing, and facilitation of
terrorism.
The main principles of the law ‘On combating terrorism’ are
ensuring legality, the inevitability of punishment for terrorist
activities under Azerbaijani legislation, coordination of open and
covert operational methods, complex application of legal,
political, socio‑economic, and organizational preventive measures,
protection of the rights of persons endangered by terrorist
activity, centralized management of forces engaged in
counterterrorism, and the principle of minimum visibility of
operational methods,” Garayev stated.
The political analyst noted that the main international document
regulating the global fight against terrorism is the Resolution
adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In reference
to UNSC Resolution 1373 of 2001, the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan approved a national action plan for its implementation
on May 11, 2002.
“In the modern world, international terrorism threatens not only
individual states but all of humanity. During the era of
globalization, new features of terrorism have emerged. Today, the
targets of terrorism have changed. Unlike in past decades,
terrorist organizations no longer aim solely to disrupt stability
through hostage‑taking, assassinations, or hijackings to achieve
short‑term goals. Instead, they now pursue broader objectives,
seizing power, occupying the territory of sovereign states, and
expelling local populations. Azerbaijan is a vivid example of
this.
In the early 1990s, taking advantage of the weakness of the
then‑government and with the support of foreign patrons, Armenia’s
military aggression resulted in the occupation of 20% of
Azerbaijan’s territory, displacing nearly one million people. Since
1988, Armenian terrorists have carried out 373 terrorist acts both
in the conflict zone and hundreds of kilometers away, killing more
than 2,000 civilians, all aimed at occupying Azerbaijani territory
through aggressive separatism.
Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, who participated in forming
the ‘Nagorno Karabakh Army’ terrorist
organization, later seized power in Armenia with foreign backing,
turning the resolution of the Karabakh issue into a major
international problem. Similar patterns can be observed in the
Middle East, where terrorist organizations created under religious
discrimination have tried to undermine peace efforts after
establishing pseudo‑states,” he said.
Garayev added that terrorist and extremist groups of different
ideologies often cooperate with one another.
“Political and religious extremism, aggressive separatism,
anti‑globalization movements, and radicalism, both left and right,
form links of the same terrorist chain, complementing one another.
Combating only one link does not ensure a full fight against
terrorism,” he noted.
He stressed that terrorist organizations maintain ties with
groups involved in other areas of organized crime.
“Separatist and radical religious regimes have used the occupied
regions of independent states, including, during the occupation
period, Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region and the uncontrolled
132‑kilometer border with Iran, for drug trafficking, illegal arms
and human trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal
activities to finance terrorism, particularly the
‘Nagorno Karabakh Army’.
Large‑scale terrorist activity can only be carried out with the
direct support of certain states. Modern terrorist organizations
have strong hierarchical structures with operational, intelligence,
and counterintelligence units and armed groups, all possible due to
state support. Many terrorist acts in Azerbaijan were organized
specifically by Armenia’s special services. In addition, it is
necessary to mention states that provide asylum to terrorists. Such
states offer shelter for terrorists to live, train, and plan
attacks, granting them political protection. Armenia is a prime
example. With Armenia’s facilitation, Armenian refugees from
Lebanon and Syria were resettled in Karabakh and used to form the
‘Karabakh Army’.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Armenian terrorists who carried out
attacks across the world were rehabilitated in Armenia and
integrated into political processes. When these terrorists could no
longer act in Azerbaijan, they became active in Armenia itself and
perpetrated several high‑profile attacks,” he stated.
Garayev added that alongside Armenian terrorist groups,
extremist religious organizations also pose a significant threat to
Azerbaijan.
“After gaining independence, ideological and legal uncertainty,
Armenia’s and certain pro‑Armenian forces’ aggression,
unemployment, and social difficulties created favorable conditions
for foreign religious missionaries. The spread of extremism in
Azerbaijan began in the early 1990s with the activities of
followers of various sects disguised as humanitarian
organizations.
International terrorist and extremist groups sought to form
structured networks in Azerbaijan under religious, humanitarian,
and economic cover. Their initial aim was to create a social base
of radical believers, particularly among young people with limited
religious knowledge and financial resources.
A key element of their operational methods is information
support. Their propaganda includes harmful religious literature,
videos, and photos of militant activities, and recorded speeches of
extremist leaders, widely spread via the internet. Radical Sunni
and Shia groups operate websites promoting ‘jihad’ against Western
countries and other sects. Many of these websites repeat the same
narratives and emphasize who the fight should target.
Global conflicts and events in war zones further activate local
extremists. Propaganda materials distort the concept of ‘jihad’,
portraying it as superior to all religious obligations and
encouraging participation with one’s life and money,” he said.
According to Garayev, extremist organizations rely heavily on
information tools.
“Information support includes harmful literature promoting
radical ideologies, videos glorifying combat scenes (‘jihad’), and
speeches written by extremist leaders for propaganda purposes.
These materials emphasize that Muslims must consider ‘jihad’
superior to all acts of worship and values, and that they must join
it with their life and wealth.
The internet plays a major role in spreading this propaganda.
Through online platforms, radicalized individuals can watch such
materials and even learn how to manufacture explosives and toxic
substances at home,” he said.
After the events of September 11, 2001, the fight against
terrorism entered a qualitatively new stage, significantly altering
the global situation. The international community was shocked by
these monstrous terrorist crimes. The rapid rise of well-known
threats from international terrorism, which challenges all of
humanity, dictated the need for collective efforts to combat it.
Azerbaijan, without hesitation, joined the anti-terrorist coalition
after this tragedy and is currently contributing to the fight
against international terrorism within the framework of the program
it developed for implementing legislative, organizational, and
practical measures in this direction,” Garayev said.
The analyst emphasized that radical religious figures widely use
social networks such as Facebook, Odnoklassniki, X (formerly
Twitter), and communication programs like WhatsApp and Telegram to
promote ‘jihad’ in these networks, seeking to expand their
influence and incite interfaith conflicts. For example, in October
2013, in Baku, the Wahhabi extremist Nariman Mirzayev and his
group, who threatened the late leader of the Shia community,
Mashadi Dadash’ Shahin Hasanli, incited sectarian confrontation
between Sunnis and Shiites in our country through Facebook.
Moreover, a significant factor influencing the propaganda of
extremism carried out by terrorist organizations today is
Islamophobia. The terrorist organization ‘Al-Qaeda’, which carried
out the notorious attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and
the so-called Muslim ‘scholars’ integrated into this organization,
created favorable conditions for Islamophobic supporters to form
negative images of Muslims, such as ‘terrorists’, ‘Wahhabis’,
‘Taliban’ etc., and spread the perception of Islam as a religion
that preaches violence and cruelty.
Based on the terrorist attacks and other incidents that have
occurred, it’s necessary to widely convey to the public the idea
that judging all representatives of one religion and culture is
wrong and dangerous. Islamophobia should be seen not only as
discrimination against Muslims but also as a threat to world peace,
since Islamophobia is based on superficial information from sources
that are little connected to Islam, lacking a scientific basis, and
are unreliable. As Imam Ali once said, ‘A person usually harbors
hostility toward what they do not understand.’
Observations have shown that among radical Sunnis in Azerbaijan,
there is a growing number of individuals who wish to travel to
‘jihadist’ regions. Since 2012, they have been leaving our country
under the pretext of seeking work abroad, obtaining religious
education, and other reasons, and have started heading to these
countries to participate in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, as well as
to join terrorist and extremist groups acting as part of the
opposition.
Analysis shows that foreign extremists who fought in conflict
regions abroad are likely to engage in terrorist, sabotage, or
other criminal activities upon their return, which could impact the
security and socio-political stability of the countries of which
they are citizens.
As a result of special measures taken by Azerbaijan’s security
agencies over the past decade to combat international terrorism and
religious extremism, more than 20 terrorist and religious extremist
groups have been neutralized.
Garayev noted that recently, in response to anti-terrorist
operations against the terrorist organization ISIS, they announced
that they would retaliate with terrorist acts.
“The terrorists pointed out citizens of these countries and
their foreign representations as potential targets and noted that
such targets exist in Azerbaijan and other states. As the intensity
and effectiveness of anti-terrorist operations grow, it’s expected
that ‘ISIS members’ will move toward new operational directions
beyond the conflict zones where this terrorist organization
operates. One of the most frequently mentioned directions is the
Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
However, data analysis shows that in the next stage, ISIS will
increase its activity in the North Caucasus region of Russia and in
the Central Asian countries, as well as in other regions of the
world. There is no doubt that foreign militants from ISIS and other
terrorist organizations connected with it will be involved in this
activity. It should be noted that ISIS prefers to carry out more
high-profile terrorist attacks rather than engage in long-term
ideological work to create local hotspots to expand the influence
of extremists beyond the conflict zone in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS and its associated terrorist structures also widely use the
factor of fueling interfaith opposition. Spreading their radical
religious ideas among youth, the ideologues of the organization
skillfully discredit religious figures and believers who do not
accept this concept. For this reason, the population may be
subjected to terror because of religious beliefs, sectarian or
denominational affiliation, as well as ethnicity, and their
attitude toward the existing authorities.
Most extremists who traveled to Syria and Iraq joined ISIS
through persuasion and invitations from their contacts who had
already joined the organization. Most of them claim that joining
ISIS is an obligation for every Muslim, trying to justify this with
religious traditions and hadiths. However, recently, among local
extremists, an opinion has also begun to form that the brutal
activities of ISIS are not in line with Islam.
Extremists who travel to the conflict zone mostly prefer to
travel in groups, but upon crossing the border, they act separately
to avoid drawing attention. Some extremists traveled to Syria with
their families and thus faced the harsh consequences of military
actions in the region – hunger, disease, and enslavement,” he
said.
According to him, most of the extremists who traveled to Syria
and Iraq, upon returning to Azerbaijan, explained their return due
to the harsh conditions of life in the conflict zones, the threat
to their lives, or mistakes made by the terrorist organizations
they joined in religious matters. It was observed that they were
heavily influenced by radical religious ideology, which led them to
behave aggressively toward those around them, reject a tolerant and
secular way of life, call the state ‘taghut’, and declare to those
around them that they would not abandon armed and violent struggle,
which they themselves called ‘jihad’ against the state.
In this regard, and in light of international experience, in
March 2014, punishments were tightened for individuals
participating in conflicts abroad, and since then, if the criminal
actions of extremists who traveled to the conflict zones in the
Middle East were proven, they were subject to investigation by the
relevant court.
As a result of these and other legal and preventive measures,
the process of extremists traveling to conflict zones has slowed
down in recent times. One of the factors influencing this process
is the strict control of extremists’ travel routes by the Turkish
army and security forces.
Moreover, the seriousness and relevance of the problem
necessitate the implementation of preventive measures by our
country’s security forces in cooperation with foreign partner
services in the fight against international terrorist and religious
extremist organizations. At a meeting with the heads of
intelligence agencies who participated in the 41st session of the
Council of Heads of Security and Intelligence Agencies of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries, held in
Baku in September 2016, the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, stated, ‘The
fight against terrorism should be global.…’
And therefore, to prevent threats, the unification of efforts,
exchange of information, and sincere cooperation between the
intelligence services of all countries are necessary. Today, the
State Security Service, within the framework of joint
investigations with working groups of Turkish, U.S., Russian, UK,
German, Kazakh, and other foreign colleagues, conducts
operational-investigative activities against terrorist
organizations operating in various conflict zones, and cooperating
with intermediary networks, and concrete results are being achieved
in this direction.
Given the above, in the modern era, in the fight against
international terrorist organizations, including forces that have
become sources of radicalization, a combination of overt and covert
methods, legal, political, socio-economic, and
organizational-preventive measures is being used. At the same time,
great importance is attached to organizing explanatory work among
the population about the nature of terrorism and the harmful
aspects of religious radicalism, and publishing materials on the
internet and in the media that promote the superiority of religious
tolerance in the modern world over the propaganda of terrorist and
extremist organizations. As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized, ‘One
of the important elements in the global fight against terrorism is
the promotion of the ideas of multiculturalism.’ The Azerbaijani
people themselves, by their nature and character, possess a strong
sense of tolerance,” said Garayev.
He noted that currently in Azerbaijan, communities and groups
are uniting a large number of believers, acting under the influence
and protection of religious centers and humanitarian organizations
from some Eastern countries, intending to form a social base for
the seizure of power by overthrowing the existing political regime,
creating an infrastructure consisting of radical Islamists. Youth
constitutes the majority of its members. For example, the average
age of Salafists is under thirty years. Every Salafist must
primarily attract their family (including women) to the movement.
The number of women in these communities is about 25%.
“There are various objective and subjective reasons for the
emergence of religious radicalism and extremism, which manifest in
many spheres. It’s precisely for these reasons that strong states
encourage discrimination in their policies, which leads to the
escalation of interfaith relations, in some cases offending
religious values, and inciting hatred and animosity on religious
grounds.
At the same time, the creation of conditions for the spread of
harmful religious sects in several countries, the ineffective
organization of work to combat radical and extremist groups, the
use of religion for political purposes by political and social
organizations, the long-standing unresolved conflicts of
international and regional significance, and the emergence of new
conflicts further strengthen trends of extremism and intolerance in
the world, expanding their scope. Efforts and measures taken by
countries and international organizations to prevent these risks,
in some cases, do not bring significant results and, on the
contrary, lead to further deterioration of relations, complicating
the situation and escalating conflicts.
This stimulates the growth of extremism and radicalism, armed
and bloody conflicts in the world as a whole, and turns innocent
people into victims of conflict. In the modern era, in the absence
of joint efforts by a strong state and civil society, as well as
international institutions, preventing such problems seems
impossible. To effectively combat extremism and radicalism, both a
strong state and a strong civil society are necessary.
If we look at the history of Azerbaijan, we see that our people
have professed various religions for centuries, including
Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam, which led to the emergence
of religious tolerance among the overwhelming majority of the
population. However, the processes occurring in recent periods,
which contribute to the growth of extremism, make it important to
consider these factors.
Considering the above, coordination of both open and covert
methods of combating the forces that have become sources of
radicalism, legal, political, socio-economic, and
organizational-preventive measures are being used. At the same
time, significant importance is attached to organizing explanatory
work among the population about the nature of terrorism and the
harmful aspects of radicalism in religion, and publishing materials
in the internet space and media that promote tolerance in religion
against the propaganda of terrorist and extremist organizations,”
he said.
The analyst explained that in the modern era, ensuring freedom
of conscience and religious beliefs, which are fundamental human
rights, plays a special role in the politics and relationships of
many states and international organizations. Today, it’s the duty
and exclusive right of the state to approach issues related to
religion not only from the perspective of human rights and national
moral values but also in terms of security. Although religion is
separated from the state, the state bears direct responsibility for
the religious situation in the country and the safety of its
citizens.
“Our state is still successfully continuing activities aimed at
preventing religious extremism, protecting our citizens from
external influences, maintaining a stable religious situation in
the country, and ensuring the safety of the population. To bring
legal acts in line with international norms, to clearly define the
rights and obligations of the state and religious institutions, as
well as to restrict the activities of sects and movements that
promote harmful ideas contradicting the principles of humanism, the
legislative framework is constantly being improved.
Provisions related to strengthening the fight against extremism
and preventing trends of radicalization are also reflected in the
Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Article 279.1 (the creation of armed
formations or groups not provided for by the legislation of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as participation in their creation
and activities, supplying them with weapons, ammunition,
explosives, military equipment, or military equipment) is of
particular importance in the fight against extremism and is mainly
applied to religious radicals who created armed groups to overthrow
the secular state system, as well as to those who have gone to
foreign conflict zones with the intention of participating in the
‘jihad’.
To align the legal measures taken in this direction with modern
requirements, in March 2014, penalties applied to individuals
participating in foreign conflicts were tightened, and Article
283-1.3 was added to the Criminal Code (the involvement of citizens
of Azerbaijan or stateless persons permanently residing in
Azerbaijan in armed conflicts outside of Azerbaijan to spread
religious teachings under the guise of performing religious
rituals, or based on religious hostility, religious radicalism, or
religious fanaticism, or conducting military training for this
purpose, or creating a stable group for this purpose or leading
such a group),” Garayev announced.
The analyst recalled the adoption of the law of Azerbaijan ‘On
the struggle against religious extremism’ in December 2015. Its
adoption made a significant contribution to preventing the
incitement of national, social, or religious hatred, humiliation of
national dignity, restricting citizens’ rights, or establishing
privileges based on their national, racial, social, or religious
affiliation.
According to the document, everyone has the obligation to
provide relevant state authorities with information that may help
identify and prevent cases of religious extremism, religious
fanaticism, and religious radicalism, as well as minimize the harm
that may be caused by these phenomena. According to the law,
individuals involved in religious extremist activities are held
accountable under the provisions of the Criminal, Administrative,
and Civil Codes. The registration of legal entities engaged in
religious extremist activities is canceled, and their activities
are prohibited.
According to the law, during a special operation against
religious extremism, conducted in accordance with Azerbaijani
legislation, damage to the life, health, or property of religious
extremists may occur. A person participating in the fight against
religious extremism is not held responsible for the damage caused
during the special operation against religious extremism.
According to the amendment to the law ‘On citizenship’,
participation in terrorism in Azerbaijan, carrying out actions to
violently change the constitutional order, may lead to the
revocation of citizenship. The document states that if a citizen
undergoes military training in a foreign state under the guise of
religious education, spreads religious movements on the grounds of
hostility, participates in religious conflicts abroad under the
guise of religious rituals, attracts another person to this
activity, or creates an armed group for this purpose, they will be
deprived of citizenship.
After these amendments to the legislation, by the relevant court
decision, more than 250 individuals who participated in foreign
conflicts were deprived of Azerbaijani citizenship, and work in
this direction continues,” he noted.
Garayev pointed out that one of the measures taken in the fight
against religious extremism is the additional amendments made in
2015 to the law of Azerbaijan ‘On freedom of belief’, aimed at
preventing the appointment of religious leaders to mosques from
among young people who have received religious education abroad and
have been subjected to harmful religious influences.
According to paragraph 3 of Article 21 of the mentioned law,
‘ceremonies and rituals related to the Islamic religion may only be
carried out by citizens of Azerbaijan. Citizens of Azerbaijan who
have received religious education abroad are prohibited from
conducting Islamic ceremonies and rituals. The main goal is to
prevent individuals who have been subjected to foreign ideological
influence during their studies from acting as religious leaders in
the country and to prevent harmful religious propaganda in places
of worship and among the population.
Moreover, according to the new amendment to the law, the
demonstration of religious slogans and other religious attributes
(except for religious attributes worn by a person) outside places
of worship, in public places, is now prohibited in Azerbaijan.
Religious flags may only be displayed at places of worship,
religious centers, and institutions.
In Azerbaijan, penalties are also provided for individuals who
violate the legal regime during special operations against
religious extremism, hinder entry and exit to the area of the
operation, do not comply with evacuation requirements in case of
necessity, obstruct vehicle inspections, refuse checks, and engage
in other similar actions. In this regard, a relevant article was
added to the Administrative Offenses Code at the initiative of the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Today, the law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan are taking
consistent and systematic measures to prevent extremist and
radicalization trends in the country. Measures taken concerning
young people participating in armed formations abroad and
preventing the spread of radical movements in our country confirm
this.
In general, given the seriousness and relevance of the issue,
the competent state authorities of Azerbaijan, together with public
organizations, should organize preventive, legal, and
awareness-raising activities in the fight against extremism,” added
the analyst.