Opponents debate the plight of soldiers in the Azerbaijani army. Photo: Gulnara Akhundova, Azerbaijan Media Centre.

The IMS-funded Azerbaijan Media Center recently helped improve the life of a young soldier by exposing the tough lives of young soldiers in the Azerbaijani army.  Ms. Gulnara Akhundova of the Azerbaijan Media Center reports from Baku

The power of media

In May 2009, a poor family from a remote village visited the Azerbaijan Media Center and asked for help. Their son was being repeatedly humiliated and assaulted by his commanding officers and numerous attempts by his parents to bring this to the attention of officials had been in vain.

- We hoped that the media could help us to save our son by bringing his story to light, the family said to Media Center staff.

The following day the Azerbaijani Media Center organised a news conference to get the attention of the government and public . As a result of the media coverage, the authorities immediately took steps to relocate the solider to another unit.

To shed additional light on the topic, the media center, as part of its debate series, brought together Azerbaijani state officials, army representatives and independent experts to discuss the current state of affairs in the country's army.

The life of a soldier

I have travelled to a military unit in one of the picturesque, mountainous regions of Azerbaijan to speak to two young soldiers who have agreed to tell me about their lives in the military

To any passerby, this military unit is just a green and quiet place. No one knows what happens beyond the walls except soldiers and their commanders. In a car parked just outside the newly painted gates, I wait for our friend who serves the country in this unit.

You don't live - you survive

- When you are in the army on the frontline or 50 km from capital there is one rule: survival, says Adil, a soldier of the Azerbaijan's army who now leaves behind a year of military service. In the course of this year he saw soldiers killing themselves and soldiers killing eachother.

- I would not say I've served my country. Rather, I'd say I've just wasted my time, declares Adil.

We are sitting in the shade of pear trees in the traditional chayhana (tea house), which is based a kilometer from the unit.  Adil said that he and his fellow soldiers spent almost every evening outside of the unit.

- We would spend our money on food and drink. Are you surprised that we had quite a free schedule? This only happens if you manage to get through the first part of the army alive, says Adil.

It feels like he is proud of having survived and comfortable in the army.

Later on Adil introduced Jeyhun, a small guy with sad eyes who is in his second year in the army. Jeyhun only has secondary school education and thus, he'll spend more time in the army than those who with a higher education.

- I never tell anyone who is beyond these walls what goes on in our unit, says Jeyhun. He told me nothing about his military experience, but his silence sounds like a cry for help.

Killings and mass food poisoning: Pure accident or provocation?

Almost all the bullets in his gun are for prospective victims, the last one is for the killer himself. This sounds like a Hollywood-made action movie, but this is indeed what sometimes happens in Azerbaijani army. Recently a soldier of Azerbaijani army shot his mates and then killed himself.

Also, think before you eat anything in the army. More than 160 soldiers of the National Army have been hospitalized for mass food poisoning.

Were these more than just freak incidents or indeed accidents? This is what the debate at the Azerbaijan Media Center tried to find an answer to. Military officials and independent experts met in a heated debate at the Azerbaijan Media Centre.

According to Eldar Sabiroglu, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense and one of the panelists in the debate, the recent shooting in the army should be prosecuted as a regular crime while the military spokesperson viewed the recent shooting as the actions of one troubled individual and should be treated as such.

- This person brought grief to four families, the Ministry of Defence Spokesperson Eldar Sablroglu highlighted.

His opponent, independent military expert Asad Isazadeh thinks the root of the problem is much deeper than individual level.

- It is not enough just to give a gun to a soldier. It is crucial to explain to this soldier why this gun has been given to him', Isazadeh notes.

The army is one big family

- You can quarrel and you can be hurt. The army is like big family - everything can happen there, believes the Ministry of Defense spokesperson.

- Our army is one of the strongest in the world. The latest incidents will not break us.  The Ministry of Defense takes these incidents very seriously and we are taking all necessary steps to deal with the situation. Our army is like one big family where some negative cases may take place, Sabiroglu said.

His debate opponent Isazadeh is confident that civil control of the military authority is needed to prevent accidents of this kind.

- The Ministry of Defense does even report to the parliament, he noted.

Who is to blame?

Meanwhile MPs are loyal to the state authorities as usual.

- There is no substantiated proof with which to blame outside actors for the mass food poisoning in the military unit, Chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee of the parliament and MP Zahid Oruj told Trend News.

According to another MP, Aydin Mirzazadeh and Head of the Group for Public Control over Army this incident shows that Azerbaijani army has a mechanism to respond to irregularities in time and take immediate measures.

- News about food poisoning does not mean that the army faces problems, the MP said to Trend News.

- Each soldier needs to feel that he is supported by the state. Measures must be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in future. Otherwise youth will be afraid of the military service, said Isazadeh.

Who will protect the Azerbaijani soldiers?

The State, MPs or army: who can protect Azerbaijani soldier? This remained unaswered at the end of the debate.

The waiter brings us the third pot of tea. Dusk is settling and we are about to say goodbye to our two soldiers Adil and Jeyhun. Tomorrow is Sunday and they are anticipating a visit to Hamam. It is hard to believe, but both have not had a shower for a week. Adil feels sorry for Jeyhun as he knows he will spend a hot summer without water in his approaching second year in the army.

On the way back, they told me some anecdotes about life in the army. Nights in village restaurants with home-made vodka or dominoes battles-there are some good impressions that they will take home with them. Survival replaces life in the army. Thank god they survived, is what I thought to myself as they disappeared through the gates.