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Gultekin Hajibeyli Detained and Deported Amidst Azerbaijan Opposition Crackdown

  • IHR
  • 21 hours ago
  • 2 min read
Gultekin Hajibeyli, a key Azerbaijan opposition figure, was detained in Istanbul and deported despite having a valid permit. This action is part of a deepening crackdown linked to a high-profile case involving Ramiz Mehdiyev. Learn about the detentions of APFP leaders and rising human rights concerns in Azerbaijan.
Gultekin Hajibeyli

On the night of November 30, Gultekin Hajibeyli, a member of Azerbaijan's opposition National Council Coordination Board and former deputy, was taken into custody in Istanbul, Turkey.


She was moved from her rented place to the Taksim Police Department and then held at the Arnavutköy deportation center. Her lawyer, Bahruz Bayramov, told Meydan TV that Hajibeyli could not see her son, Togrul Mehdili. Also, there was no official reason given for her detainment. Even though she had a two-year Turkish residence permit, Oxu.az, a pro-government website, said she was sent back to Azerbaijan on the morning of December 1.


Political Repression


Government media says Hajibeyli’s detention is tied to a case involving the former Head of the Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev. This case has been the reason for detaining and questioning a number of opposition people in Baku:


The crackdown started on November 29 when the State Security Service (SSS) detained Ali Karimli, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP), and Mammad Ibrahim, a member of the APFP Presidium. The SSS searched Karimli's home for six hours and claimed they found a letter from Ramiz Mehdiyev to Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting the creation of a transitional government in Azerbaijan. Karimli and Ibrahim were charged with trying to seize power and change the constitutional structure. They will be in pre-trial detention for 2 months and 15 days. On November 30, Jamil Hasanli, Chairman of the National Council, was called to the SSS for questioning and was not allowed to leave the country. Also, several other APFP members were briefly detained and then released.


Opposition Response


Gultekin Hajibeyli said the claims that she was linked to the Mehdiyev case were false. She told Toplum TV that Ramiz Mehdiyev destroyed her whole life, and she denied any ties to Russia. She criticized the Azerbaijani government, seeing the situation as a repressive campaign to get rid of the opposition.


The APFP leadership also denied the charges against its members, saying the arrests and legal actions are part of the government's next repressive campaign.

 
 
 

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