Literature

Literature

Poet Ashraf Veysalli: I was sentenced to 15 days in detention for refusing to kiss a stone at a church in Eachmiadzin

19 February 2026 13:28 (UTC +04:00)

Renowned Azerbaijani poet Ashraf Veysalli recalled his years of military service in Echmiadzin during the Soviet period in APA’s “Contemporary of the Century” project.

He stated that Echmiadzin was located at the foot of Mount Ararat and that he served in a tank regiment. According to Veysalli, during his military service, they were once taken to visit a church.

“A woman standing at the entrance said, ‘Kiss the stone, then enter.’ I refused. They reported this to the commander, and he gave me 15 days of detention in the guardhouse,” the poet noted.

Veysalli noted that he received guardhouse detention three times in total, each time for 15 days. According to him, despite the punishment, he did not sleep for even a single minute during that time.

The poet added that one of the punishments occurred while he was on guard duty in a tank. “I got inside the tank and fell asleep. I was tuning in to a Turkish radio station and listening to music,” he said.