A small country in Eurasia called Azerbaijan is one of the world’s most censored countries. Ruled by an authoritarian dictatorship, the citizens of Azerbaijan are subject to constant violations of human rights. The government exploits social media as one of their methods of persecution. When citizens, primarily journalists, speak against the dictatorship, they are victims of vicious social media campaigns that are aimed to tarnish their reputations. The government has even gone as far as installing cameras in a significant portion of households, leaving everything that citizens do in the privacy of their own home subject to public exposure. Posting and tagging videos, making memes, and buying fake accounts to “troll” are all examples of how the Azerbaijani government cyberbullies their citizens.
Whether or not these campaigns have merit, the Internet is forever and information disseminates very quickly. A rage comic that screams “Y U NO DO YOUR MILITARY SERVICE” (we all know this meme) is seemingly harmless, but in a country where military service is required, it could severely undermine a journalist’s credibility. In the case of journalists who are women, the harassment is much more personal and intense. I mentioned earlier that cameras are installed in the households of Azerbaijani citizens. The government has gone as far as posting videos of women having sex on Facebook. Can you imagine a video of your sister or best friend having sex popping up on your newsfeed? These acts are a disgusting violation of human’s basic rights to privacy and speech. Why are these attacks not more publicized? It could have something to do with the fortuitous position Azerbaijan is in.
With membership in groups like the World Trade Organization, NATO, and the UN Human Rights Council, it is safe to say that the international community, especially America, has seemingly deemed Azerbaijan a proponent of civil liberties. However, with the blatant disregard of privacy and free speech, it is obvious that the situation is much different than the public is led to believe.
Like Azerbaijan, countries like Iran, China, and Russia have highly oppressive regimes. Different outlets of social media are monitored and have been shut down in these countries due to attacks against the government. These instances of oppression, such as China blocking Facebook, are highly publicized by Western Media outlets from Fox News to MSNBC. How does Azerbaijan differ from these countries? Rich in oil and strategically located, Azerbaijan is an asset to NATO’s military interests. Speaking as an American citizen, this makes me question if we forego freedom of speech, something rooted in our Constitution, in order to maintain international hegemony. Obviously the safety of Americans is of paramount concern, but is it fair for our safety to come at the expense of other's basic human rights? Democracy, something America has impressed upon countries across the globe, is forgotten when there are benefits that we can reap from an unsoiled relationship. While the hypocrisy is obvious and painful, one can only hope this is a choice between the lesser of two evils and not an intentional indifference to others’ suffering.
