The Free Thought University () project in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

was launched in 2009 by the OL! Movement.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

(April 11, 2013)
"Azerbaijan Closes University Promoting Democracy"
/ref> as an alternative education institution and a platform for discussions to educate Azerbaijani youth on human rights and democratic values through weekly interactive lectures and free debates.The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst (April 24, 2013)

/ref> The institution has been supported by the U.S. and British embassies in

, the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...

, the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...

, and The German Marshall Fund of the United States and other Western organizations.

Lectures

Interactive lectures by AFU are held twice a week. As of April 2013, AFU organized over 300 events with the participation of 4,000 young people. Over 80 well-known public figures and experts such as Erkin Gadirly, Hikmat Hajizadeh,

Thomas De Waal Thomas Patrick Lowndes de Waal (born 1966) is a British journalist and writer on the Caucasus. He is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. He is best known for his 2003 book '' Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War''. Li ...

Jamil Hasanli Jamil Poladkhan oghlu Hasanli () (born 15 January 1952) is an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani historian, author and politician. He served as a professor at Baku State University in 1993–2011 and as a professor at Khazar University in 2011–2013. He ...

Ilgar Mammadov Ilgar Mammadov (; born June 14, 1970) is an opposition politician in Azerbaijan, and one of the leaders of the Republican Alternative Party. Mammadov was considered a likely candidate for the Presidential elections in October 2013, but was arres ...

, Eldar Namazov, Rafig Aliyev, Altay Goyushov,

Matthew Bryza Matthew James Bryza (born February 16, 1964) is a former United States diplomat. His last post in the United States foreign service was the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan. Education Bryza graduated from Stanford University with a Bachel ...

, Leyla Aliyeva,

Khadija Ismayilova Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova (, ; born 27 May 1976), alternatively spelled Ismailova, is an Azerbaijani investigative journalist and radio host who is currently working for the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, until re ...

, Gubad Ibadoghlu, Rahman Badalov, Rasim Musabeyov, Sabit Baghirov,

Emin Milli Emin Milli (Abdullayev) (born 14 October 1979) is an Azerbaijani human rights activist who lives in Germany. He used to be the managing director at Meydan TV until April 2019. Background Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Milli was imprisoned in 2009 fo ...

Ali Akbar (writer) Alakbar Aliagha oglu Aliyev, commonly known as Alekper Aliyev or Ali Akbar (; born 28 January 1978), is an Azerbaijani journalist, translator and writer based in Switzerland. Aliyev attended a public school in Baku but after the eighth grade, ...

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev Bakhtiyar Ilyas oglu Hajiyev (; born c. 1982) is an Azerbaijani activist and blogger who served a prison sentence from 2011 to 2012 on charges of evading military service. His imprisonment was protested by numerous human rights organizations. Ba ...

have participated in the project as speakers. Videos from lectures are posted on the AFU website for people abroad or those who can’t attend the events. AFU website is a virtual university with more than 130 video-lectures on various topics and by experts prominent in their fields.

Awards

The Free Thought University was the first organization to receive the Ambassadorial Award for Freedom of Expression over the Internet from the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, awarded during the 2010 Summit in

Astana, Kazakhstan Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

. The University received the award for its innovative use of new media to promote democratic reforms, civil society, independent media, human rights, and the rule of law in support of

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

values and commitments. The AFU website as the winner of the Milli Net National Internet Awards in Science and Education category in 2011.

Attacks on AFU

On April 10, 2013, officials from the Prosecutor General's Office sealed their offices in Baku without explanation. The next day, the Prosecutor General's Office released a statement, saying that OL! Movement has not obtained state registration, failed to provide necessary reports on their activities to the appropriate government agencies, and received funds from foreign organizations. On April 11, 2013, U.S. Ambassador

Richard Morningstar Richard L. Morningstar (born 1945) is an American diplomat. He was former United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan from 2012 to 2014. He was formerly Special Envoy of the United States Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy. Currently, Ambassador ...

gave a speech in support of the Free Thought University because, as he put it, it "offers a delightful forum for thoughtful, engaging discussion – the kind of thing one finds at any good university campus." After the closure of AFU there has been tremendous support on social media, with many young Azerbaijanis posting status updates, photos, and thoughts about the importance of this project in their lives. On April 29, the Prosecutor’s Office unsealed the door to AFU and the leadership were allowed to remove the remaining possessions.Contact.az (April 30, 2013)
"Authorities Evicted University of Free Thought"
/ref>

References

{{authority control Universities and colleges in Azerbaijan Educational institutions established in 2009 2009 establishments in Azerbaijan