In Azerbaijan, oppositionist arrested for 30 days

Alikram Khurshidov (Khurshudov), the adviser to the chair of the “Musavat” Party, was charged with failure to obey the police and arrested for 30 days. His party colleagues considered the accusation false and the arrest politically motivated.

On July 25, Alikram Khurshidov got a phone call and was summoned to the police of the city of Shirvan, where he lives, Faradj Kerimli, the deputy chair of the “Musavat” Party, reported.

According to him, Alikram Khurshidov was detained at a protest action held on July 20, participants of which demanded to open land borders of Azerbaijan. “The police treated him rudely. Alikram Khurshidov wrote about that fact on Facebook* and then filed a complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office. But as a result, he himself was punished for daring to criticize the law enforcement bodies,” Faradj Kerimli believes.

The “Musavat” Party noted that “the trial against Alikram Khurshidov took place in secret, without notification of his family members and without the participation of an advocate of his choice.” “There is no doubt that the arrest is related to his critical posts against the authorities and his active political activities,” the “Musavat” Party states.

Alikram Khurshidov had already been persecuted earlier. On November 22, 2017, he was detained, and investigators stated that he allegedly threw a stone at a policeman. The court sentenced Alikram Khurshidov to five years of imprisonment. In March 2019, the oppositionist was pardoned.

* On March 21, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.