On the day it all started I was extremely exhausted. After hard working day I still had too much work to do. I thought I better retire into my shell and relax for a while. I locked myself into my room, turned on the computer and connected to the Internet. I skimmed through my Facebook posts and comments. All of a sudden, a friend of mine sent me a weird message “I got some bad news for you. People are commenting negatively about you. You have been declared an enemy of the people.” I thought he was just kidding me. But when he sent me links to websites containing false information about me, I could hardly believe what I saw. I was being accused of the crimes I had not committed.
In his interview, the leader of Karabagh Liberation Organization Akif Nagi, demanded my immediate arrest and trial. He accused me of treason. In this, he added that I had to be held accountable and severely punished. It was absolutely unbelievable. I continued to elaborate on provocative articles on local Azerbaijani websites. I was shocked at what I read. Leaders of some non-governmental organizations were accusing me of collaboration with Armenian security service and intelligence forces. They even insisted that I was directly associated with Fethullah Gulen, the founder of the Gulen movement. They deceived everyone by telling them that I received orders from Armenian state with the intention of destroying Azerbaijan, my own country. I knew something bad was going to happen.
Roshan Azizov with his students.
The next day I thought it would be a good idea for me to go to the school administration for advice and guidance. The principal`s office was crowded with unknown aggressive people shouting out Anti-Armenian slogans. At first, I was not aware of what was going on. As soon as they saw me they said “You have betrayed your country. We are angry with you because of your videos where Azerbaijani pupils speak Armenian and perform Armenian dances. You must apologize to your nation and acknowledge that you have made a mistake”. Their ignorance drove me crazy, but I was able to keep my nerves under control. They looked like cold-blooded and merciless criminals to me. I tried to explain them that inside school building everyone had to behave properly and obey rules. Out of the blue a short-haired woman came out from between the crowd and looked me straight in the eyes. She said “If you give up talking about peace, we will forgive you. In the contrary case we will have to complain to the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan. “She spoke as if she was ready to kill me without batting an eyelid. I replied to her that they had no choice but to respect the free will of people to express their opinions. My words drove her wild and she began to scream at the top of her voice “Armenian….. You are an Armenian agent. Go back to Armenia. You came to destroy my country.” I recognized her at first glance. She was the chairwoman of the Female Karabagh Veterans Association, Rada Abbas. She threw some insults at me in order to make me feel small. She humiliated my pride for the simple reason that I had called for peace. Her aim was to put me down in front of everyone. That was the worst thing that ever happened to me. A few more people broke into my school and attacked me from far and near. They were the members of Karabagh Liberation Organization. In the eyes of most of them I was the representative of Armenia. They thought they would put fear in my heart and I would draw back in fear. But contrary to their expectations I bravely and courageously stood before them and did not step back. However hard they tried they could not break my fighting spirit. All these things happened in front of my colleagues and pupils. None of the teachers came to my aid. They were frozen with fear. Soon after the incident the members of Karabagh Liberation Organization had a secret meeting with the school administration. Later on the leader of Karabagh Liberation Organization Akif Nagi admitted that the school`s director had promised to expel me from the school as soon as possible. On the other hand Nigar Ogeday, the Turkish nationalist journalist called on people to take revenge on me. In her view I was the greatest threat to Azerbaijan`s national security and something needed to be done in order to reduce me to silence. Getting support from some members of the Turkish National Movement Party she openly declared that she had already started campaign against me.
Going back to the roots…I remember when I was a little kid , people used to tell me that I was an adopted child. I never told my mother that I was aware of the truth. It would break her heart. I did not care if she was not my biological mother . I knew how much she loved me . She was proud of me. Even after I grew up I never wanted to find my biological parents until my stepmother went to be with the Lord in 2014. That was the hardest period of my life. Deep down inside I knew I had lost the most important person in my life. She was the kind of woman who could encourage me to do great things. It was she who had always taught me respect for all human beings regardless of their religion, race or nationality .Shortly after my mother`s funeral I started my search for biological parents. I met some people that revealed my mother`s most hidden secret to me. I found out that my biological parents were Armenians. I doubt whether it is true or not. There is no evidence except words. I was very determined to reconcile the two countries despite having doubts about my ethnic origin. With all my heart I wanted to create and consolidate peace between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Roshan Azizov with his students.
I started to think that Armenians and Azerbaijanis are the two halves of my heart. So I decided that I would call on everyone to put an end to hostilities. I knew it was risky, but I was ready to do whatever it took to reach my target. It all came so easy at first . I started making movies about Armeno –Azerbaijani relations. My students played roles in these videos. We wanted to demonstrate that we would achieve peace by understanding each other. Then I started learning Armenian language. I even wrote Facebook status updates in both Armenian and Azerbaijani languages. Finally, I posted photos on Facebook of one of my pupils wearing Armenian Taraz (folk costume) as a mark of respect for Armenian children. These photos did not drop beneath the radar of the members of the Karabagh Liberation Organization. Thereafter they detected my videos on Youtube and this drove them up the wall. Thanks to their efforts, photos of the schoolgirl wearing Armenian Taraz went viral on social media. This act was considered treason. They thought I took directions from Armenian state. Local websites spread false claims about my involvement in illegal activities. In Turkey Nigar Ogeday , an author and journalist started speaking out against me. She frequently used live video streaming on Facebook in order to call out to her supporters and nationalists. One of her Facebook videos where she accused me of involvement in a partnership with Armenian State Intelligence Service got shared thousands of times in a short span of time. The news in the press did not reflect the truth. Ordinary people believed in everything they were told. I even received phone calls from Turkey. I was tired of people asking me dumb questions . I thought I was having a nightmare. So many people were against me, because the truth was hard to swallow. Fake patriots fabricated lies about me in order to blacken my name and damage my reputation. My patience, determination and persistence drove them around the bend. I was prepared for any situation. Even when the members of the Karabagh Liberation Organization broke into my school and attacked me in front of everyone, I remained patient and continued to move in the direction of a peaceful solution. I promised myself I would never give up on my dreams. The director told me” You better go not to put children`s lives in danger.” Even my pupils were aware of this and they were waiting for his decision with bated breath. They learned from other teachers that I would be fired soon. It was an injustice what was happening to me. Despite that it was important for me to put up a good fight and stand on my own two feet under these circumstances. I thought I had to stop with the self-pity and pick myself up and fight till the last drop of my blood against injustice. It is hard to believe , but even some racist journalists turned me into a target. They pretended they were patriots and portrayed me as an enemy of the nation. But no matter how hard my situation was I did not get discouraged and tried to look for a way to get out of that situation. But most of all I was concerned about the safety of my family. Racists even were sharing photos of my son and my wife on facebook trying to make others aware of my family members. Apart from that I received threat messages almost every day. At a secret meeting with the principal the members of Karabagh Liberation Organization demanded my immediate dismissal. The school administration promised to get rid of me in less than no time. It would take the principal three days to kick me out of school. From that day on , the school administration put more strain on me. Everyone whom I trusted literally stabbed me in the back. Even my colleagues betrayed me when I needed their moral support most _teachers with whom I worked. They spread the rumors among the students , that it was me who operated against Azerbaijan`s State national policy by the order of external forces and distorted country`s image. “Stay away from him. Roshan Azizov is Armenian. He will do you harm.” I just felt like I was being excluded from the society.
One of his students wearing the Armenian Taraz (traditional custom)
The next unpleasant event of this kind happened one more time in the principal`s office the day after that secret meeting behind closed doors. The principal told me that two men were waiting for me . He said that those men had something to tell me and they would have a serious conversation. I was so confused after all what had happened that I didn’t know what to expect. I opened the door and there they were. Two men over there in black suits staring at me with their eyes open wide. I thought it was a trap. They presented themselves as lawyers from the Ministry of Education. They asked me the same questions about my videos over and over again. Their intention was to scare me into saying something that was far from being true. The interrogation lasted for more than three hours. I was totally done in . Out of nowhere a man with a mustache broke onto the room and started screaming insults at me. “Get out of my sight! Get the hell out of here! How many times do I have to tell you! Tural muallim (teacher), I want you to expel this teacher right now .” I said “What have I done wrong ? ” His answer was “Shut your trap you noisy bugger”. The principal told me that he was the deputy chief of the state department of education. I felt completely humiliated. I said nothing. Everything was said. I took my backpack and silently left the room. One more surprise was awaiting me when I returned to school on Monday. I was invited to the room next to principal`s office. Several teachers had gathered there to discuss issues including my dismissal. One by one they talked about the Nagorno –Karabagh war and about what Armenian soldiers had done. They accused Armenians of war crimes against humanity. The assistant principal Mrs. Aybaniz was also there . She said that I had fallen under the influence of Armenian nationalist propaganda. They asked me if I was Armenian. I said “ What do you want to hear from me? It irritates me to see how your teachers plant hatred in the hearts of Azerbaijani kids against the entire Armenian nation. Animosity cannot last forever. “ One of the teachers began to cry while I was talking. I continued my speech. “ There are a lot of good people among Armenians. We can live in peace side by side. Being born Armenian doesn’t make you a criminal. “ I saw that some teachers were deeply moved by my speech. The principal spoke to me again the next day. He told me to go and never come back. “ I have already made my decision. You are fired, Mr. Roshan. Never ever, ever come back again!” The next day I heard that the members of the Karabagh Liberation Organization and their supporters were celebrating my exclusion . They were receiving pleasure from my pain. As far as I understand , I got a punishment that I didn`t deserve for the simple reason that I had called for peace.
In conclusion , I want to say that we must put an end to this animosity, hostility , hatred toward each other. So much blood has been shed so far. This conflict must be solved in a peaceful way without shedding blood.
