Talysh and Lezgins Display Acts of Disobedience to Their Commanders: Media Reports

Representatives of indigenous peoples across Azerbaijan, primarily the Talysh and Lezgins, have begun to vocalize their dissent due to the deaths of thousands of their compatriots during the unsuccessful actions of Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. For a long time, official Baku denied the existence of public unrest and continues to do so; however, opposition media outlets in Azerbaijan are increasingly bringing attention to this pertinent issue facing the Azerbaijani state, as reported by Tert.am citing Talyshistan Times.

According to the source, the Azerbaijani opposition website Freeazerbaijan.com reported in its October 17 publication about “not only protests occurring in the rear but also instances of mass desertion, disobedience to orders by Talysh and Lezgins, and acts of sabotage.” The report further states that “in many areas, the Talysh and Lezgins are displaying acts of disobedience to their commanders. On the battlefield, they are relaying secret information about the deployment and numbers of our troops to the Armenians, and conditions are maturing for mass desertions and Talysh and Lezgin traitors to switch sides to the enemy.”

Families of these individuals are refusing to send their sons to war and are condemning the country's leadership, accusing them of inciting an unjust and aggressive war that sends their children to the doors of death.

The Azerbaijani site has accused minorities of “taking advantage of the opportunity, sowing the seeds of conflict in Azerbaijan, and attempting to infringe on our territorial integrity, as seen before in 1993 with the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic, which was declared a treasonous act by the self-proclaimed Gumbatov,” calling on the government to wage relentless battle and rid itself once and for all of all provocateurs and representatives of the 'fifth column.'

The site also calls for punitive actions against Azerbaijan's national minorities, revealing information about the creation of some 'punitive army' and plans for the physical elimination of 'traitors,' as reported by Talyshistan Times.