Rustam Ibragimbekov - Public Activity and Criticism

Public Activity and Criticism

In the late Soviet epoch, Ibragimbekov was a supporter of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan which called on democratic reforms and Azerbaijan's sovereignty. He signed petitions addressed to Kamran Baghirov and Ayaz Mutallibov in the aftermath of Black January when Soviet troops entered Baku and shot over 130 participants of a peaceful pro-Popular Front rally, bypassers and medical personnel rushing to provide assistance.

In 2009, Rustam Ibragimbekov became one of the founders of the Intelligentsia Forum, an Azerbaijani public organisation which unites prominent scientists, writers and journalists. The forum unanimously criticised the arest of Azerbaijani bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizadeh accused of "hooliganism" and demanded from the government to release opposition journalist Eynulla Fatullayev imprisoned allegedly for defamation, encouraging terrorism and drug possession. Ibragimbekov is reported to have attended opposition rallies held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Rustam Ibragimbekov repeatedly criticised the 2009 constitutional amendment which lifted the two-term limit for presidency in Azerbaijan, calling it "shameful". At the same time, he admitted seeing no real alternative to the current president, Ilham Aliyev. He openly appealed to Aliyev asking to free the government of incompetent people he referred to as "cheats" who comprise the "core part of the system".

Ibragimbekov's criticism targeted Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture and Tourism for artificially creating obstacles in order to obliterate the initiative of the Cinematographers' Union of Azerbaijan (chaired by Ibragimbekov) to open and maintain the Higher School of Filmmaking in Baku. He also accused the Head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Head of the Department of the Arts of the said administration Fatma Abdullazadeh of "doing everything possible" to obstruct cultural projects of the Union for the past ten years, namely the annual East/West International Film Festival or screenings of Azerbaijani films in rural parts of the country. According to Ibragimbekov, aspiring filmmakers have no opportunities of studying in Azerbaijan and can only hope to be state-funded to study abroad, if they bribe the appropriate officials.

Due to his public activity, the forum and namely Ibragimbekov became subject to criticism from various government figures and members of the ruling party. Ibragimbekov is criticised for opportunism and frequently changing his opinion of the government of Azerbaijan. More specifically, his opponents cite his inability to purchase land near the Martyrs' Lane due to legal issues involving the government and hence resorting to critical statements targeting state policy and government establishments such as SOCAR. Ibragimbekov refuted these claims by stating that SOCAR deliberately incurs in his private property in the Baku suburb of Bayil intending to install oil rigs there without having proper documentation.

In June 2012, an organisation alternative to the Cinematographers' Union of Azerbaijan and named Cinematographers' Union of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established, uniting many members of the former. The executive committee assessed Ibragimbekov's work as a union chair as "unsatisfactory". Ibragimbekov responded by stating that the establishment of the new union was orchestrated by the government due to his political activity and that should the new union with almost the same name and function be officially registered, the political nature of its creation would become obvious. He explained the creative problems experienced by the union he has chaired by the difficulties which the government had caused for its existence. Nevertheless he expressed hope that the new union would engage in a productive activity. Ibragimbekov believed members of the new union may have been pressured by the government into speaking out against the union he chairs.

In an interview to Azerbaijani media, Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi praised Ibragimbekov for his contribution to both Azerbaijani and world film industry. However, this particular part of the interview was censored out and not included in the official publication. Around the same time the head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Ali Hasanov attacked Ibragimbekov in the media, accusing him of fraud committed against businesspeople in Moscow. He also commented on the establishment of a new union saying film making required "skilled people, as opposed to those who cannot do anything." He added that Ibragimbekov should not expect to be thanked by Azerbaijani society for "having directed a couple of movies or so." For these remarks, Hasanov himself came under the attack of Azerbaijani human rights activist. Chair of the Committee for the Protection of Women's Rights Novella Jafarova believes Hasanov must be made legally accountable according to the Azerbaijani law which still considers libel a criminal offence but seems to be applied only against journalists. Chair of the Azerbaijan National Committee of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Arzu Abdullayeva said Hasanov's words as those coming from the head of a social and political department are illogical. According to her, Ibragimbekov's reputation is impeccable in Azerbaijan, and he would not even react to this attack because him and Hasanov "are in different weight classes."

In July 2012, Russian writer of Azeri descent Eduard Bagirov publicly renounced his membership with the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan and the All-Russia Azeri Congress as a form of protest against political repressions targeting Ibragimbekov in Azerbaijan.

In 2010, after the All-Russian Azeri Congress (at the time, the leading Azeri diaspora organization in Russia) implemented some structural changes, Ibragimbekov who holds Russian citizenship and had been one of the vice-presidents of the Congress, was demoted from his position. He later explained these changes by a directive coming from Baku. In 2012, Ibragimbekov declared the Congress a non-functioning entity and co-established the Union of Azeri Organizations of Russia together with high-ranking Russian businessmen of Azeri origin: Aras Agalarov (father of Ilham Aliyev's son-in-law Emin Agalarov), Vagit Alekperov, Telman Ismailov, Isgandar Khalilov, Abbas Abbasov, Soyun Sadikhov, and Ramazan Abdulatipov (originally Dagestani). This led to a new wave of criticism of Ibragimbekov on the part of state-sponsored media and accusations of him "being sympathetic to Armenians", "embezzling public funds" and "having exhausted his talent as a director". In addition, he was accused of pandering to Russia's interests in the region by fellow diaspora activists. Ibragimbekov claims the Union was formed due to the inactivity of other diaspora organizations and has no political agenda.