22:54, 8 December 2004

Azerbaijan authorities spy upon opposition leaders

Vice speaker of the Azerbaijan parliament Ziyafet Askerov has made a sensational confession that special services closely watch Azerbaijan oppositionists. Those who wrote scenarios of the Georgian and Ukraine developments try to carry out a revolution in Azerbaijan too, he said. According to Mr Askerov, the Azerbaijan opposition receives financial resources from abroad and prepares to repeat the Georgian and Ukraine scenarios in the country. Ms Askerov claimed his statement was based on "operational information obtained by intelligence services". Thus the vice speaker admitted that the Azerbaijan special services spied on political leaders, which is a direct violation of the Constitution and legislation regulating the activity of political parties.

The leader of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Ali Kerimli, has called the vice speaker's statement not serious and being contrary to fact. "The Azerbaijan authorities seem to have fallen in their old habit of accusing their opponents of attempts to overthrow the power," Mr Kerimli said.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot