Azerbaijani activist refuses to quit party at law enforcers' demand

After the end of his administrative arrest, Tofig Mamedov, an oppositionist, was summoned to the police, where they demanded from him to quit the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). After he refused, they threatened to initiate a new case against him; however, then he was released.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 11, Tofig Mamedov was place into custody for 10 days after he staged a solo picket near the "Inshaatchylar" metro station in Baku. This arrest was his fourth since the start of the year.

Tofig Mamedov was released after 10 days of arrest in the late afternoon on October 21, he himself told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. In the morning on October 22, he was again summoned to the police station. "There, I was offered to quit the PFPA; instead, they promised not to interfere with my street trading near the "Inshaatchylar" metro station. I immediately rejected this offer," the activist has explained.

According to his story, after that, law enforcers began drawing up a new protocol. "But then they changed their minds and released me," Mr Mamedov said.

He has stated that he will continue fighting for democracy in the country. "While I was in custody, our party activists were brought to the Binagadi detention centre almost every day. They were detained in connection with the rally on October 19 ... Despite the arrest and pressure, they all remain strongly spirited," he said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 22, 2019 at 10:43 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.