News
Azerbaijani Prisoner Freed

AZERBAIJANI CASE SUCCESS: PRISONER RELEASED!  

We received this recent email announcement on the case of Sakit Zahidov:  “The Azerbaijan authorities released an opposition journalist Sakit Zahidov on 9 April, after he had served almost three years in prison. Sakit Zahidov was pardoned under an amnesty act passed in March by the country’s parliament, the Milli Mejlis.

Sakit Zahidov is currently in need of medical treatment as his health has deteriorated in prison. However, he is determined to carry out his journalistic work with his newspaper and is also planning to set up a news website and a satirical blog.

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Thank you very much for working on his case.”


A journalist has translated several of Sakit Zahidov’s poems into English - here's one:

FREEDOM
Take everything from me
Take all my possessions
Give only my freedom to me
I know - the freedom is priceless
Just like the sky and the earth…
Take everything from me
Take brutally without compassion
All skyscrapers,
Ranchos in this city
All of the gold and ruby and expensive dresses
But give to me my freedom
Hey you bastards
Come and embrace everything
Millions of dollars,
all of the jewels
Eat them, it may satisfy you hunger
Don’t hesitate all those is yours
Just leave me my freedom
Give it to me in full
In exact measure, in grams
Without ads on television
Give me my freedom
Live hundred years like a crow
May be three hundred
Give me one day,
three days of freedom
Give to me my freedom
Take your cosy chairs
Ranks, positions
and your greed
I do not need
Anything but freedom
I want a freedom like a breeze
Which kisses the autumn trees
In whispers
In tears
I want to cry,
I want to shout
Just let me out
Give to me back
My sweet freedom
The freedom is my lover
With golden wings
Let me once more try
To live and die.               

                - Sakit Zahidov