​Azerbaijan government suspends alcohol law in face of public protests

The climb-down adds to the woes facing the authorities in Baku, who are already seeing public unrest over the sharp devaluation of the national currency, the manat, brought on by the decline in the price of oil.

The government in December closed currency exchange points in the country in order to prop up the ailing manat. That measure was soon followed by the signing of a decree by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev that made it a criminal offense to sell alcohol for cash from Jan. 1

The penalty for violating the new law, depending on the amount of alcohol purchased for cash. If the purchase cash price ranges from 50 manats up to 1000 manats, a fine amounting will be from 1000 to 2000 manats, or a punishment in the form of correctional labor for up to one year, or imprisonment for one year will be applied, Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency reported.

The new law was widely ridiculed on social networks as a senseless step by the government in the face of economic crisis. Pro-government media have supported the suspension of the law, saying the president had suspended it because the people were against the legislation.

According to deputy tax minister of Azerbaijan, Sahib Alakbarov, the law was signed in order to encourage non-cash payments with debit or credit cards. But the law lifted because there are issues related to documentation processes: “We, the Presidential Administration and the president received too many appeals from entrepreneurs: The president always supports the entrepreneur, that is why the law was temporary cancelled.”

According to economic expert Natig Jafarly, from Jan. 8-10 Azerbaijan’s Tax Ministry checked the sales records of 145 individual and corporate taxpayers for the sale of alcoholic beverages. The sum of the fines imposed for selling alcohol for cash was 8,400 manat (about $5,350).

“Why they should pay for a rash act by the president?” Jafarly said.

Meanwhile, with price hikes in Azerbaijan reaching about 80 percent, and a lack of indexation of wages and pensions to inflation, public protests against price rises and unemployment continue in the regions. Following protests in Lankaran, Agjabadi and Siyazan regions, demonstrations have now been held in Fizuli, Beylagan, Imishli, and Aghsu regions.

Initially the regional authorities tried to play down the protests, with the governor of Lankaran region, Taleh Garashov, saying that the protests had been organized by people disgruntled at not being able to buy tobacco and alcohol.

But the government has now deployed police to crack down on the public protests. Riot police used tear gas in Siyazan region, wounding some protesters, and arresting some of the more active protesters, according to Meydan TV, the only independent television channel in Azerbaijan.

The government has pinned the blame for the public unrest on the opposition, with the chairman of the largest opposition party Musavat (Equality), Arif Hajili, being called in for questioning at the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. Hajili was given an official warning by the chief of the MDCOC, Seyfulla Azimov, who told him that the MDCOC had information about the role of the Musavat Party in orchestrating the unrest, the Azerbaijan Press Agency reported.

Hajili in turn said he told the MDCOC that the protests in the regions were not organized by his party. He said that the Musavat Party would inform the relevant state bodies if it intended to call any protest actions.

Other opposition leaders have faced harsher treatment: the chairpersons of Lankaran region branches of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party and Musavat Party, Nazim Hasanli and Imanverdi Aliyev, have been arrested and now face 30 days of detention pending their being charged under article No. 298.2 of the country’s Criminal Code (participating in meetings, demonstrations, street processions and pickets not organized in the manner prescribed by the law).

Kyiv Post staff writer Gulnar Salimova can be reached at salimova.gulnar@gmail.com