JAN. 27 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Students at Baku State University have been warned not to criticise Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev or the university on social media, a leaked audio recording showed.

In the audio recording, released on Facebook, the deputy dean of the faculty of journalism of Baku State University Aytekin Zeynalova threatened students for criticising the university administration.

“After seeing on social media the criticism of a student my blood pressure increased,” she told a group of students. “If students break the rules of the discipline, they will receive a warning and I will reprimand them.”

A second audio recording was leaked a few days later in which Ms Zeynalova again threatened students.

The recordings, and the attitude of Ms Zeynalov, are important because they highlight what human rights have said is a systematic crackdown on free speech in Azerbaijan.

It also demonstrates just how important Facebook has become as a tool for people to express themselves and criticise governments in countries which have been showing an increasingly authoritarian bent.

Students told The Conway Bulletin that it was fairly standard to receive warnings about social media use.

Umman Safarov, a third-year student at the Faculty of Journalism at Baku State University, said that he was warned not to share posts criticising President Aliyev and the university administration.

“The vice-Chancellor told me that while you are studying at Baku State University, you cannot share such posts otherwise you will be expelled from the university,” he said.

Baku State University said in a statement that Ms Zeynalova had admitted that she had handed out the warning but media later quoted the rector of the University, Abel Meherremov, as saying that it was a duty of every student not to criticise the government.

ENDS