Azerbaijani law enforcers detain 25 oppositionists

Policemen have detained the participants of the sitting of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) and accused them of violating the rules for holding meetings and issued warnings to them. The PFPA treats it as law enforcers' pressure on the opposition.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 20, 2019, law enforcers disrupted a sitting of activists of PFPA regional branches in the city of Masally. Oppositionists were detained and forced to leave the city.

On September 20, a sitting of PFPA activists took place in the city of Ganja. "Since authorities prevent us from renting rooms for our sittings, we usually gather in teahouses ... We were at the end of our sitting, when policemen appeared in the teahouse," said Emil Salim, the head of the youth committee.

According to his story, 25 activists were brought to the Ganja Police Division. "We were kept there for four hours, accusing us of our failure to officially notify the authorities about the sitting," Mr Salim has added.

Elshan Gasanov, the coordinator of the "Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan", has noted that authorities disallow oppositional parties to hold their sittings in the regions.