Two oppositionists arrested after farmers' protest in Azerbaijan

The court has ruled to apply an administrative arrest for two members of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who joined the farmers' protest against the absence of water for irrigating fields in the Saatli District.

On September 30, Elmeddin Akhmedov, a PFPA member, was detained in the Saatli District and arrested for 20 days, Shamil Gadjibeili, the chairman of the party regional branch, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The exact reason for the arrest is unknown, but the PFPA has associated the Akhmedov's administrative prosecution with the protest action held in Saatli on September 28. Then, the residents of three villages of the Saatli District – Nabatkend, Ortamugan and Kolpu – tried to block the Baku-Imishli highway. Policemen prevented this, said a PFPA source.

According to Gadjibeili, villagers protested against the deficit of water for irrigation. They believe that all the water goes to the fields of Baku oligarchs located in the same district.

On the day of the protest, Asim Agaev, a PFPA member, was also detained, Shamil Gadjibeili said. A local court found him guilty of resisting the police, and sentenced him to 10 days of administrative arrest.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 1, 2021 at 07:53 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.