Crackdown on Opposition Intensifies: APFP Members Missing or Detained

Novruz Taghiyev

The Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), a major opposition force in the country, reported on May 22 that two of its activists have gone missing since May 20. The individuals are identified as Novruz Taghiyev, a member of the party’s Binagadi branch who served as a volunteer bodyguard to APFP chairman Ali Karimli, and Rashad Aliyev, a member of the Khatai branch who occasionally drove Taghiyev to party-related events.

The party released a statement confirming that all contact with the two men was lost on May 20.

APFP chairman Ali Karimli emphasized that those in his close circle have been systematically targeted by authorities:

“Thus, in the past two months, eight APFP activists who either drove me to various events or accompanied me at those events have been arrested.”

As of now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other official institutions have not responded to these claims.

Separately, a criminal case has been opened against Novruz Taghiyev, according to a statement posted by Ali Karimli on May 21 via his Facebook account. Taghiyev has been charged under the article of the Criminal Code related to fraud.

“Since May 21, they’ve detained Mr. Novruz, and now a pretrial detention measure has been imposed on him — he has been sent to the Kurdakhani detention center. Mr. Novruz is a principled APFP member, an honest, devout, and dignified person. He made a lawful living for his family by acting as a broker in real estate transactions. He was arrested solely for being a member of the APFP and for standing by my side,” the party chairman stated.

Another APFP activist, Rashad Aliyev, who also worked as a volunteer driver for Ali Karimli, has been sentenced to 25 days of administrative detention.

Earlier, on April 1, Karimli’s volunteer driver Zaur Rzali was also subjected to administrative detention. On May 5, Asam Ali, who used to drive the party chairman to events, and his bodyguard Kenan Ismayil were both sentenced to 30 days in detention.

Another of Karimli’s bodyguards, Niyameddin Ahmadov, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of financing terrorism. Yet another, Kenan Basqal, was arrested in March on charges of stabbing an individual. They all deny the charges.

Nearly 15 members of the APFP are currently serving long-term prison sentences. In addition, many of its activists have been subjected to administrative detention. Although they face various charges, the party maintains that all have been imprisoned on politically motivated grounds.

“Ilham Aliyev only ‘competes’ with his political opponent through such means, which is why he ‘wins’ through police force and a machinery of slander. In the civilized world, heads of state no longer find it acceptable to cling to power in this way. In the modern era, state leaders compete with their opponents in a civilized manner — in free elections — and remain in power with a mandate from the people. When the people no longer vote for them, they are not afraid to leave power and do not cling to it with both hands,” Karimli stated.

Azerbaijani officials deny the existence of political prisoners in the country, asserting that those listed as such have been convicted strictly based on their criminal acts. According to estimates by local human rights defenders, there are currently over 350 political prisoners in Azerbaijani jails. The government does not recognize such lists.