Kerimli: accusation of Tofig Yagublu is "politically motivated"

The arrest of the deputy chairman of the "Musavat" Party Tofig Yagublu, accused of organizing riots in Ismailly, was undertaken under the order of the authorities – he has committed nothing illegal, said Nemat Kerimli, Yagublu's defender.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 23-24, in the Azerbaijani city of Ismailly mass riots burst out, during which clashed occurred between protesters and policemen. Today, the leader of the oppositional movement "ReAl" Ilgar Mamedov and deputy chairman of the "Musavat" Party Tofig Yagublu saw official charges of organizing the unrests in Ismailly. They were summoned for questioning to the Investigatory Department of Grave Crimes Prosecutor of the General Prosecutor's Office this morning. Then, by the ruling of the court they were arrested for two months.

"On January 24, Yagublu was in Ismailly to prepare a report for the newspaper 'Yeni Musavat' on the assignment of the editorial board. When he arrived in the city, the protests were already at full swing," the lawyer Nemat Kerimli said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".

Ilgar Mamedov also states his innocence. "This is a fabricated political case," he believes. His lawyer Khalid Bagirov calls the charges against Mamedov groundless.

The leaders of the oppositional "Musavat" Party and the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Isa Gambar and Ali Kerimli have condemned the criminal charges presented to Yagublu and Mamedov.

So far the press Service of the General Prosecutor's Office has refrained from comments.