Sakina Aliyeva (, 15 April 1925 – 6 October 2010) was an Azerbaijani-

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

politician. From 1951, she served in various capacities in the Nakhchivan Regional Committee of the Communist Party. In 1963, she was elected Chair of the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and served in that capacity until 1990. In January of that year, with the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

Aliyeva presented the declaration for Nakhchivan to

secede Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...

from the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in protest of the Soviet actions during " Black January". During her career, she was awarded the

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

, the

Order of the Red Banner of Labor The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

, and an Honorary Decree of Merit from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Early life

Sakina Aliyeva, officially

Sakina Abbas qızı Aliyeva Sakina Aliyeva (, 15 April 1925 – 6 October 2010) was an Azerbaijani-Soviet politician. From 1951, she served in various capacities in the Nakhchivan Regional Committee of the Communist Party. In 1963, she was elected Chair of the Presidium ...

meaning Sakina daughter of Abbas Aliyeva, was born on 15 April 1925 in Nakhchivan, located in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was officially part of the

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent re ...

to Almaz and Abbas Aliyev. Her father was a laborer and her mother raised the couple's three children — two daughters and a son. She studied at the Nakhchivan Teachers Institute and went on to further her education at the Azerbaijan State University, and

Higher Party School Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU () was a higher party-political educational institution in the Soviet Union for the training and retraining of the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Soviet state, ...

, completing her schooling in 1945.

Career

As soon as she graduated, Aliyeva joined the Statistical Institute, where she taught in the Soviet system until 1951. Promoted to the

Agitprop Agitprop (; from , portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', "propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in the Soviet Union where it referred to popular media, such as literatu ...

in that year, she first worked as an instructor in the propaganda department of the Nakhchivan Regional Committee of the Communist Party. She was later promoted to head the department, before being promoted to lead the lecturer's group. In 1958, Aliyeva became the Minister of Education for the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a member of the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

, serving in that capacity until 1961, when she became the secretary of the Party's Nakhchivan Regional Committee. In 1963, Aliyeva was elected as the deputy of the

Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR The Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR, later renamed as the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Republic from 1991 until its abolition in 1995, was the Supreme Soviet, supreme soviet (main Legislature, legislative institution) of the Azerbaijan ...

representing the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. That same year, she was elected as Chair of the

of the

of the Nakhchivan Autonomous SSR In 1964, Aliyeva was simultaneously selected as Deputy Chair of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. She was well-known for her focus on improving the status of women and involving more women in Azerbaijani politics, but she also devoted attention to the socio-economic problems of Nakhchivan. She instituted programs to raise the standard of living and address civil protections for the populace of the

autonomous republic An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Ma ...

. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was recognized with multiple awards, including the

, the

, and an Honorary Decree of Merit from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1986, with the assertion of ''

Glasnost ''Glasnost'' ( ; , ) is a concept relating to openness and transparency. It has several general and specific meanings, including a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information and the inadmissi ...

'' policies by

Soviet General Secretary The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). From 1924 until the country's dissolution in 1991, the officeholder was the recognize ...

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

, ethnic tensions, which had been smoldering between Azerbaijani and Armenian populations for decades, resurfaced when Karabakh separatists saw an opportunity to reorganize the region. Organizing a series of ethnically motivated attacks and demonstrations, the separatists goal was to reclaim Armenian jurisdiction of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which was within the borders of Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, a similar organization emerged to agitate for Azerbaijani sovereignty, the Popular Front. The initial Soviet response was to support the Azerbaijan jurisdiction, as they appeared more loyal to the state. With the

, authorities came to believe that backing Armenia in the conflict would promote longer-term fields of influence. Declaring a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

, Soviet troops moved into

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 ...

on 20 January 1990, with the intent of stopping the independence movement from overthrowing the Soviet Azerbaijani government. In protest to the Soviet actions during " Black January" and their backing of Armenia, as head of the Presidium for the Nakhchivan Autonomous SSR, Aliyeva called a

special session In a legislature, a special session (also extraordinary session) is a period when the body convenes outside of the normal legislative session. This most frequently occurs in order to complete unfinished tasks for the year (often delayed by confli ...

of the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan ASSR. After debating the legalities of whether Nakhchivan could

from the

under Article 81 of the Soviet Constitution, the deputies prepared a declaration of independence. Aliyeva signed the first secession proclamation by any territory of the former USSR and presented the declaration of independence on television. The declaration was quickly denounced by , who claimed Aliyeva had only signed the agreement under duress, forced by gunmen. She was forced to resign from her post in March 1990 and was replaced by Jalilov. In 2003, a well-known Azerbaijani writer, wrote ''Azadlıq carçısı'' (Herald of Freedom), the biography of Aliyeva's life.

Death and legacy

Aliyeva died on 6 October 2010. A few months after her death, a film of her life ''Очень любим вас'' (We love you very much) was released by producer Beyugaga Mamedov of the film studio "Salname". In 2015, an event held at the held at Tabriz Hotel in Nakhchivan paid homage to Aliyeva on what would have been her 90th birthday.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aliyeva, Sakina 1925 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Azerbaijani women politicians 20th-century Azerbaijani politicians 21st-century Azerbaijani women politicians 21st-century Azerbaijani politicians People from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Baku State University alumni Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Soviet women in politics Women government ministers of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani feminists Azerbaijani nationalists