Islamic Party of Azerbaijan demands release of its arrested activists

The Islamic Party of Azerbaijan issued a statement condemning the "pressure of the authorities on party members" and "groundless" accusations against them. The authors of the statement demand prompt termination of "customized" repression and release of the detainees.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 9 and 10 in different regions of Azerbaijan more than 20 believers were detained and arrested. Besides, on January 8 Movsum Samedov, leader of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan (IPA); Mirgusein Kazymov, Mr Samedov's driver; Vagif Abdullaev, head of the organizational department of the IPA; and Elchin Gasanov, a member of the Party, were subjected to administrative arrest. Movsum Samedov was accused of preparing terror acts and mass riots.

The leadership of the Islamic Party believes that the reason for arrest of several activists was in support of the activities of the IPA "by broad layers of the society, growth of the number of supporters and criticism of the policies of the authorities."

"It is still unknown where exactly Movsum Samedov is kept," runs the statement of the IPA.

The charges against Samedov were condemned also by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD). Its director Leila Yunus pointed out that Samedov was arrested after he had criticized the policy of the Azerbaijani authorities, in particular, the ban on wearing headscarves (hijabs) in schools. The IPD considers charges against Samedov "as suppression of the freedom of speech and the freedom of thought and nonconformity."