N!DA flashmob. Source: www.nidavh.org.Azerbaijan’s civil society scene has never been at such a low ebb. From youth movements to non-governmental organisations to independent media outlets — in the past three years, many voices have been muzzled, if not completely silenced in what many international observers describe as unprecedented crackdown.
The traditional targets of the Aliyev regime (opposition political parties and their members) have expanded to include independent spectators, bloggers, journalists, political activists, leaders of NGO movements and members of active youth movements. Indeed, since 2009, the pursuit of youth movements has opened a new chapter in forms and targets of government crackdown.
This repression formed the backdrop for the emergence of N!DA in early 2011, when a group of seven young men came together to form a civic movement. They called themselves N!DA, which means “exclamation mark” in Azeri. Modeled after similar movements in Georgia, Serbia and Belarus, N!DA called for political change largely through education-focused initiatives. Today, the organisation has around 300 active members, and has played a major role in exposing deaths in Azerbaijan’s compulsory military service.
