Farid Mehralizade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Farid Mehralizade | |
|---|---|
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| Born | November 22, 1994 |
| Education | Azerbaijan State Economic University |
| Website | https://freefarid.info/ |
Farid Mehralizade (born 22 November 1994) is an Azerbaijani economist, civil society representative and political prisoner.[1] His analyses focused on the policy issues related to the economy, welfare, education and climate. He contributed to multiple platforms, including Baku Research Institute and Akinchi. He was arrested on 30 May 2024 amidst an ongoing crackdown on independent media and NGOs in Azerbaijan.[2][3]
Mehralizade was born on 22 November 1994 in Baku, where he went to school. He got his bachelor's degree in finance from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics in 2016. Mehralizada served in the military in 2017. He completed his master's degree in Economic Policy at Istanbul University in 2019. He participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program of the US Department of State in April 2024.
Career
Alongside his career as a financial analyst in the private sector, since 2019, Farid Mehralizade has emerged as a reputable economist within Azerbaijan's civic sphere. He regularly published analytical articles, policy papers, and opinions, and provided critical insights through interviews for media and TVs.[4] The areas of Mehralizade's analytical work included economic inequality and the gender aspects thereof, social and educational policies, effects of climate change and more.
In his articles and policy briefs published by Baku Research Institute, Mehralizade critically analyzed the topics of financing of higher education,[5] shortcomings of human capital,[6] issues of minimum wage,[7] socio-economic causes of internal migration,[8] the level of societal trust in the government's economic policies[9] and more in the context of Azerbaijan.
Performing as an interviewer at the Akinchi online educational platform, Mehralizade discussed a variety of socio-economic problems, including the dutch disease in Azerbaijan's economy,[10] the country's dependence on fossil fuels,[11] and issues related to public interest representation.[12]
As a renowned economist, Farid Mehralizade regularly touched upon the pressing challenges of climate change and social justice in Azerbaijan. “Despite heated discussions on the development of the non-oil sector of the economy, still 90 percent of exports and 50 percent of budget savings are formed at the expense of the oil and gas sector,” Mehralizade noted.[13] In a commentary to independent media outlet Meydan TV, he spoke about the severity of the water shortage problem facing the country on the one hand and significant levels of water waste resulting from government's reluctance to deal with the problem on the other.[14]
Before his arrest, Farid Mehralizade gave his last interview to Abzas Media where he pointed to the failure of the government to raise the minimum wage to the levels targeted in the country's development policy documents.[15] Abzas Media has been under assault of the Azerbaijani government due to the media outlet's consistent investigations into the grand corruption. Six employees of Abzas Media have been arrested since 2023, and law enforcement also linked Farid Mehralizade's arrest to the Abzas Media case.