A regional analyst and a blogger, Arzu holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey and a Master’s of Science degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her areas of interest include regional politics, conflict resolution, and new social media.
Latest posts by Arzu Geybullayeva
9 July 2019
Azerbaijani artists win fight to save a prayer house-turned-cinema from demolition
In a city increasingly overtaken by skyscrapers, the Salaam Cinema has become a symbol of resistance.
26 April 2019
Cultural heritage and stray dogs under siege in Baku's Formula 1 rerun
"Every year, we invest in Formula 1 but not in our education system? Why?"
8 January 2019
Azerbaijanis pressure government to #FreeMehman after blogger endures 12 days on hunger strike
Young, popular and politicized, video blogger Mehman Huseynov is a classic target of the Azerbaijani government's crackdown on civil society.
20 December 2018
Nagorno Karabakh mothers’ protest puts Azerbaijan's regime on the back foot
The state made a promise to compensate families whose sacrifices are lauded in official rhetoric. Then it let them down.
20 November 2018
Welcome to the ‘New Turkey': Five years after Gezi park, protesters face new threats of arrest
What seemed like a spike in repression against civil society advocates and intellectuals may actually be the new normal.
4 July 2018
Authorities blame air conditioning as Azerbaijan plunges into darkness
"As soon as he got on the phone, all he could talk about was the heat inside the jail."
29 June 2018
Turkey looks ahead to a strongman era
The political presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now too dominant to be checked by rivals or institutions.
5 June 2018
Freedom abroad, fear at home: Azerbaijani human rights lawyer detained for 30 days
Emin Aslan had prepared multiple complaints brought before the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Azerbaijani citizens.
10 May 2018
Social media platforms are ablaze as Turks say “enough” to President Erdogan
In Turkish, "tamam" means "that's enough". And that is exactly what Turks are saying to the president.
12 April 2018
#KnowYourDictator: Political Emigres and Their Hashtags Haunt Azerbaijan's Re-elected Strongman
Having largely suffocated opposition at home, newly-elected President Ilham Aliyev is finding ways to hurt activists living abroad.
16 February 2018
‘They Fear Pens, Not Guns': Turkish Journalists Sentenced to Life in Prison
With 155 journalists serving jail time because of their work, such sentences are becoming routine for Turkey's embattled independent media community.
5 February 2018
Justice Deferred: Uproar After Turkish Court Releases, Re-Arrests Amnesty International's Taner Kilic
"The court changed its mind... Why? Who knows, no grounds provided. Devastating for the family and an affront to justice."
3 January 2018
Will We Ever See the End of Information Control in Azerbaijan?
Legal reforms restricting online speech seem to threaten everyone but the ruling elite of Azerbaijan.
26 October 2017
After 113 Days Behind Bars, #Istanbul10 Human Rights Defenders Are Released Pending Trial
“I don’t have anything to regret. I just did my work as a human rights defender,” Idil Eser told the court.
9 September 2017
Azerbaijan Runs $2.9 Billion ‘Laundromat’ but Soros and the ‘Armenian Lobby’ Are to Blame
"The Azerbaijani operation...was likely designed primarily to obscure the origin and destination of dirty money."
4 September 2017
50 Shades of Erdogan's Propaganda
The enemies of Turkey's authoritarian government are everywhere and state propaganda is taking on an increasingly absurd hue.
26 July 2017
Who Are the #Istanbul10? Learn About the Work of Jailed Human Rights Defenders in Turkey
A group of human rights defenders and information technology trainers continue to face jail time in Turkey and accusations that they were "aiding a terrorist organization without being a member."
18 July 2017
In State of Emergency, Turkey Jails Six Human Rights Defenders Pending Trial
"The accusations of aiding an armed terrorist organisation against them are groundless. Workshops of this kind are common, essential education for human rights organisations."
6 July 2017
Turkish Authorities Detain Top Human Rights Defenders at Training Workshop
"[These] people who have dedicated their lives to human rights. A day will come when they will stand for the rights of those behind these vile news stories."
5 July 2017
Erdogan's Post-Evolutionary Turkey Floods School Classrooms, Threatens Universities
No more Darwin for schoolchildren, but that might not be the end of it.
