AZE.US
Azerbaijani lawmaker Razi Nurullayev has spoken about the intense fear he experienced after being detained during his earlier political career, saying the psychological effects remain with him.
Nurullayev made the comments in an interview with Müsavat TV.
The lawmaker represents Imishli Electoral District No. 81, chairs the National Front Party and serves on the Azerbaijani parliament’s Agrarian Policy and Human Rights committees.
“I Was Frozen”
Nurullayev said his fear of darkness began in childhood, when his mother and grandmother told frightening stories at night. He recalled being too afraid to move from one room to another until daylight.
Those fears intensified after he entered politics. In 2005, Nurullayev established the youth movement “Yox!” – Azerbaijani for “No.” He said he faced significant pressure during that period and was detained.
According to Nurullayev, the shock was so severe that he barely reacted to what was happening around him.
“I was genuinely frozen and did not understand how I had ended up there,” he said.
Nurullayev recalled that officers noticed his unusual condition, searched him and decided to keep him separately from other detainees for several hours.
He said he later underwent “childag” two or three times. Childag is a traditional Azerbaijani folk practice intended to relieve severe fright by briefly applying heat from smoldering cloth to specific points on the body.
Nurullayev said he does not believe the practice helped him. Some of his fears remain, and he now wants to address them through psychological self-work and professional reading.
Constituent Demanded a Call to the President
Nurullayev also described some of the unusual requests he has received from citizens.
One constituent demanded that the lawmaker call the president of Azerbaijan in his presence and activate the speakerphone. The man wanted to hear the conversation and secure a personal meeting with the head of state.
Nurullayev said he tried to explain that members of parliament cannot call the president at any time and connect citizens directly.
“If all 125 lawmakers constantly called the president, he would not be able to work,” Nurullayev recalled telling the man.
The constituent was nevertheless offended and later complained that the lawmaker had refused to arrange the call.
High-Paying Job With Two Workdays a Month
Another citizen asked Nurullayev to find him a well-paid job that required attendance only once a month.
The lawmaker initially assumed the request contained an error, but forwarded it to the employment service. After meeting with officials, the applicant revised his demand, saying he was prepared to work twice a month – but wanted an even higher salary.
“If such a job existed, I would apply for it myself,” Nurullayev joked.
An older woman also asked the lawmaker to personally locate her 17- or 18-year-old daughter, who had repeatedly left home. She refused to contact the police and insisted that only Nurullayev could bring the young woman back.
The lawmaker said he spent about 90 minutes explaining that missing-person searches fall under the authority of law enforcement agencies, but the woman continued repeating her demand.
Fight With a Boxing Champion
Nurullayev also acknowledged that he had a hot temper in his youth. Before entering the military, he clashed with a military commissar because he wanted to begin his service earlier.
He was subsequently sent to Baikonur in Kazakhstan. During his service, Nurullayev attempted to provoke a new fellow soldier into a fight but was knocked unconscious by the man’s response.
He later learned that the soldier was a world or European boxing champion. Nurullayev described the encounter as one of the most memorable lessons of his youth.
AZE.US