Lala-Shevket Hajiyeva

Lala Shevket was born 7th November 1951 in Baku City. Her father was a historian and mother was a physician, scientist. On leaving in 1968 189th secondary school of Baku she entered N.Narimanov Azerbaijan State Medical University and received qualification of a professional physician. Her first scientific publications are attributed to that time. After graduation she moved to Moscow where she had her post graduation and master course on the surgery chair of Patrice Lumumbe International University under the guidance of world famous academician, professor V.V.Vinogradov. At 25 she received M.Sc becoming the youngest M.Sc in area of surgery in the USSR. Since 1978 Lala Shevket had been working at N.V.Sklifosovsky Moscow Scientific-Research Institute of the First-aid. Lala Shevket traveled a long road from a junior research officer to a leading scientific specialist and the head of the department. At 37 she successfully defended a Doctor dissertation and became the youngest Doctor of Medicine in the USSR in the area of organizing and administering of health care. She worked as the head of the Department of organization and management of health care in a Scientific Centre of Health Care Ministry of the Russian Federation. The results of her research effectively influenced the development of health care in the USSR and got a widespread international recognition. She is the author of more than a hundred scientific works. Was invested with the professor title. In 1991 Lala Shevket was officially enlisted by the Russian Prime Minister N. Silayev to work out the concepts of social policy of the country. "Perestroika" epoch and the worsening of in the end of 1980s of the Qarabagh problem greatly influenced the forming of her social and political activity. It became the basis for the cooperation with the prominent leaders of Soviet Union's democratic movement. The "Bloody January" events of 1990 became a sort of a detonator of the flight of her political career. The whole world became the witness of the barbarian military demarche of the Soviet Army against the peaceful population of Baku because of the press-conference, called by Lala Shevket at the permanent representation of Azerbaijan in Moscow on 20th and 21st of January. It was the time, when the republic was taken in a ring of information blockade... The correspondent of an American information agency NBC called this press conference "The historical moment in the process of increasing the self-consciousness of Azerbaijan people." In 1991 alongside Eduard Shevardnadze, Alexander Yakovlev, Sobchak, Popov, Brazauscas and other famous democrats Lala Shevket was one of the founders of the Movement for Democratic Reforms in the USSR. The same year she founded the International socio-political movement "For Democratic Reforms in Azerbaijan Republic and Protection of Human Rights", which became the first international political organization of a national republic of the union officially recognized by the Soviet government. Representations of this organization were founded in Azerbaijan as well as other Soviet republics and countries of Western Europe. In June 1993 Lala Shevket was invited to Baku by the acting President H. Aliyev and on 7th July was appointed the Secretary of State of Azerbaijan Republic. In January 1994 Lala Shevket wrote a resignation letter as a protest against corruption in the government. This has become a precedent in Azerbaijan of voluntary resignation from such a high position because of one's morality principles. In January 1993 Lala Shevket was made Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador thus making her the first woman ambassador in the history of Azerbaijan. Despite further appointment of her as ambassador to the UN she, creating a precedent in the world practice, for 8 months refused to go to New York since she could not represent the policies that are not acceptable to her. In 1995, Lala Shevket created the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan and was elected as its leader on the Constituent Conference, which took place on 3 June 1995. Thus, she became the founder of liberal ideology in modern Azerbaijan. The first book on theory of liberalism in Azeri language was published under her guidance. ALP’s leader calls all her companions and confederates to support the slogan: TO THE CIVILIZED AZERBAIJAN THROUGH THE LAW AND DIGNITY OF MAN, CREATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY." In 1998 Lala Shevket has been one of the five potential presidential candidates, who boycotted the Elections due to undemocratic nature of carrying it out. During years of her political activities several life attempts on Lala Shevket have been carried out, the most notorious being the terrorist act of the government against Lala Shevket and her companions on the meeting in defense of democracy in Azerbaijan in the autumn 1998. In the parliamentary elections 2000 Liberal Party headed by Lala Shevket, has gained the second place in the republic, without entering any coalition with other parties. The results of the Elections were, however, totally falsified. On 7 June 2003 in the Liberal Party Congress Lala Shevket resigned from the party in order to start her presidential campaign as an independent candidate. Thus, she has laid another cornerstone into the political tradition of Azerbaijan. Has one son.