12:02, 6 April 2018

In Azerbaijan, three opponents of presidential election arrested

Participants of the rally in Baku on March 31. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

A court refused to grant the appeals filed by three activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) arrested in Baku before a rally against the early presidential election. The leader of the PFPA announced the political persecution of activists.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 31, a rally of the oppositional National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), the PFPA and the "Musavat" Party was held in Baku. The protesters called to boycott the presidential election.

Initially, the presidential election in Azerbaijan was scheduled for October 17, but on February 5, Ilham Aliev rescheduled it to April 11.

Three activists, including Abdulla Makhmudov, Orkhan Bakhyshly and Ayaz Gasymov, were arrested yet before the rally, reported their advocate Asabali Mustafaev. The activists were accused of failure to obey to lawful requirements of the police.

The case can be brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), stats the advocate.

"Every time on the eve of rallies, the authorities start to put pressure on activists: arrests them and issue warnings not to go to actions. All that is done to intimidate people," noted Ali Kerimli, the leader of the PFPA.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent