Jamil Hasanli, chair of the National Council and a historian, was stopped from leaving Azerbaijan and asked to visit the State Security Service (STS) as a witness

Jamil Hasanli

Hasanli shared this on his Facebook page, stating that he and his wife planned to fly to Dubai on November 30 at 12:20 Baku time for personal reasons. He had bought the ticket on November 7, including a copy with a return date of December 15 in his post.

Hasanli mentioned that the STS invited him as a witness and a home search may occur.

"There are no shady items in our home, just my writings," Hasanli wrote. "We're old, so we keep about $3,000 and £245 for emergencies like illness or deaths. I also have about £30 on my Revolut card for use in London and £709 on my HSBC card. Plus, I have a pension card for daily expenses. That's all I have. Anything else is fake. They're good at making false claims."

On November 29, Ali Karimli, head of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), was detained by the STS, who searched his house for over six hours.

Karimli is accused of attempting to seize power by force under Article 278 of the Criminal Code.

An investigation is ongoing.

That same day, Mammad Ibrahim, Secretary of the Supreme Assembly of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Faig Amirli, an assistant to the chairman, Ruslan Amirov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, and Saleh Rustamli, a former member, were also detained. Natig Adilov, the press secretary for the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, said that Amirli and Amirov have since been released.

The pro-government press reported that Karimli's detention relates to a criminal case against Ramiz Mehdiyev, former head of the Presidential Administration.

The Popular Front Party says that officials found a copy of a letter supposedly from Mehdiyev to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the search of Karimli's house.

The letter, circulated in pro-government media, alleges that Mehdiyev offered Putin to form a transitional government in Azerbaijan. His view on this is unknown.

Karimli earlier denied working with Mehdiyev.

The APFP has dismissed the charges against Karimli and others, calling it another government campaign to suppress them.

On the night of November 30, Gultekin Hajibeyli, a National Council member, was also detained in Turkey and taken to a deportation center.

"Ramiz Mehdiyev ruined my life. I am patriotic and a Turkish nationalist. It is absurd and a lie to detain me in Russia," said Hajibeyli. "The Azerbaijani authorities have gone too far. It is likely about Azerbaijan's Feto issue and eliminating the opposition. I had plans to take the IELTS exam in the morning, but they arrested me and are rushing to deport me."