In Ramana, the village of Baku, there is a long canal where oil waste and sewage water are falling into. When summer comes, it is impossible to breathe because of the smell of the fuel. But only a meters away from the canal, there are houses and about 1,000 families live here.
authors
Sevinj Vaqifqizi
Sevinj Vaqifqiziwas born in 1989, in Azerbaijan. She graduated from Baku State University Journalism Faculty in 2010. After that, she worked for "Bizim Yol", "Azadliq" and Meydan TV. She is a reporter working on human and investigative stories whose reports were published in the Associated Press, The Guardian, and OCCRP.
Author's stories
Oil Polluted Ramana, Baku
Everyone is looking for customers in this bazaar. Here you can find everything: cloths, constructing materials, food, flowers and etc. The sellers say that there are approximately 1,000 people working in this bazaar. In the bazaar where 1,000 people try to feed 1,000 families, the situation is not good.
Ganja’s so called “Kolkhoz” Bazaar
Autism is a developmental disorder that can hinder communication and social skills with the onset of symptoms typically beginning in the first three years of life. Rauf is studying in the 6th form, and he was already 6 years old, when the doctors diagnosed him with autism, before it, he was diagnosed wrongly. Children with autism often need intensive therapy, that is challenge for parents in Azerbaijan, where the disorder is not well understood and minimal resources are available. According to unofficial statistics, approximately 4,000 autistic children have been registered in Azerbaijan. In 2014, Azerbaijan also ranked third in the world for the rise of children with autism.
A Gap in Autism Services
After decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan started shooting again in April. The frozen conflict exploded between April 2nd-6th. According to official data, 97 Armenian soldiers died during this escalation and 31 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in combat, however, independent estimates indicate this number was three times higher. Most of the soldiers who died during the escalation were born in 1990s, and came from socially vulnerable families.
The Fire That Opened In Three Houses
As the heat rises to 36 degrees, two women covered from head to toe in soot are working around two tandirs (a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking). One is making a ball of dough, while the other is forcefully stabbing the chickens onto the spits.
Women Who "Play" With Fire
Heydar Aliyev International Airport. He approaches the security check, lays his phone, his watch, and his belt in the plastic box which disappear through the metal detector. No beep, everything is fine. He picks up the objects surfacing on the other side of the machine, and walks towards the checkin desk. He hands over his luggage, picks up the boarding pass and heads to passport control. There is a long line. He waits quietly his turn. When it comes, the border officer asks him to look in the camera, "You cannot leave," he says.
Hostages in Their Own Country
A thick, cement wall divided the two men, confined as they were in two claustrophobic, cubic worlds. They could hear each other’s voices, the voices sounded familiar, yet unplaceable. They would vaguely hear comments about each other, their acquaintances, and their common fights. It took a week for Anar Mammadli to recognize that voice - it was Rasul Jafarov’s, a friend and a colleague. And his new cell neighbor.
Cell Neighbors
Energy-rich Azerbaijan says it’s on the job to provide access to safe drinking water, and international organizations say “significant progress” has been made. But in the village of Chelebiler, as in other rural locations, many people still lack clean, running water.
Walking for Water in Azerbaijan
The scenery is breathtaking: pristine streams zigzagging through green, rolling hills and the autumn sun shining through the trees. But once the sun sets, blankness covers Sakasham, plunging its residents into darkness.
No Electricity In Azerbaijan’s Green Hills
Over the past ten years, a growing number of Azerbaijani citizens have been driven to protest with local, unorganized, and similar demands