Father of the convicted Azerbaijani oppositionist arrested

Zafar Akhmedov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has been arrested for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police. His arrest has to do with his struggle for the release of political prisoners, including his son Fuad Akhmedli, the PFPA has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 16, 2017, the court sentenced Fuad Akhmedli to four years of imprisonment. On July 20, 2018, the court denied his conditional early relief (CER).

"The authorities did not stop after convicting Zafar Akhmedov's son under absolutely false charges. ... After the arrest of his son, Zafar Akhmedov began fighting, still more actively, against the anti-democratic regime, and defending political prisoners' rights. He was very active in social networks," said Ali Kerimli, the PFPA leader.

Ogtai Gyulyalyev, the coordinator of the Centre for Defence of Political Prisoners, has also linked Akhmedov's persecution with his political activity.

"Zafar Akhmedov published sarcastic posts about the authorities and ridiculed officials' incompetence, especially during the power blackout in July," Mr Gyulyalyev has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 28, 2018 at 02:42 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.