Azerbaijani oppositionist reports detention by police

On August 17, Reshad Dadashev, an activist of the Hajiqabul branch of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was detained by the local police. He was released two hours later, after warning about the inadmissibility of holding a pre-planned meeting of local activists of the party.

Around 1:00 p.m. local time, Rashad Dadashev was taken from his home in Hajiqabul, the district centre, to the local police station.

"Three policemen took me directly from my home to the ROVD (District Interior Division) and kept me there for about an hour and a half. They asked me about publications in social networks. Then they asked about the meeting of our party activists, which was scheduled for August 18 in Hajiqabul. I was warned that if we tried to hold the meeting, it would be dispersed, and its participants would be detained," Rashad Dadashev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent after his release.

He said that he left the ROVD at 3:30 p.m., adding that the meeting would be postponed so as not to put activists at risk.

Gezyal Bairamly, a PFPA Deputy Chair, has condemned the policemen's actions. "This is an order of the authorities. They not only fail to provide our party with offices and rooms for meetings, they don't even allow us to meet in teahouses and parks. This is an obvious suppression of political freedoms," Ms Bairamly told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 17, 2019 at 04:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.