A representative of the Azerbaijani opposition was detained in Istanbul.
In Turkey, security forces detained opposition coordinator Gultekin Hajibeyli, and in Azerbaijan, activist with Russian citizenship Saleh Rustamov. Opposition figures linked these detentions to the case of the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Ali Karimli.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 29, after searches, State Security Service officers detained the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), Ali Karimli, his advisor and PFPA presidium member, Mammad Ibrahim, and several other activists. The party called the detentions politically motivated, assessing them as an attempt by the authorities to "destroy the last independent political force in Azerbaijan."
Gultekin Hajibeyli, a member of the Coordinating Center of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) of Azerbaijan, was detained in Turkey on the night of November 30, a representative of the PFPA told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
"Gultekin Hajibeyli managed to report that security forces came to her rented apartment in Turkey with the aim of detaining and deporting her to Azerbaijan. She has not been in contact since. Hajibeyli has lived in Turkey, where her son is studying at university, for the past two months. Following the placement of former head of the presidential administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, under house arrest, pro-government media launched a campaign against Gultekin Hajibeyli, claiming she was involved in Mehdiyev's plans to stage a coup. "Hajibeyli stated that these allegations were absurd," he said.
Former head of the presidential administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, has been charged with attempting a coup. He is under house arrest. On November 29, the pro-government news agency APA linked the search of Ali Karimli's home to the case against Ramiz Mehdiyev. A publication affiliated with the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) denied this version.
Furthermore, Russian citizen and Popular Front Party member Saleh Rustamov, who was prevented from leaving the country in November by being prevented from leaving the country, was detained in the Gadabay region of Azerbaijan and taken to Baku, a representative of the Popular Front Party reported.
He linked these detentions to the Ali Karimli case, noting that Karimli himself was taken to the State Security Service after a search of his home.
The PFPA representative also reported the release of two fellow party members detained the day before—Karimli's assistant Faig Amirli and the former bodyguard of the party leader, Ruslan Amirov.
Clarify the fate of another activist PFPA - Fariza Alizade, with whom contact was lost on November 28th, was unsuccessful for fellow party members.
Faig Amirov's wife confirmed today to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her husband "returned home last night."
Salekh Rustamov's son Sezgin Rustamov confirmed the information about his detention. "My father was detained in Gadabay by State Security Service officers. He was apparently taken to Baku," he told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.
It was impossible to contact Ruslan Amirov and his family, a Caucasian Knot correspondent reported.
Security forces arrived, and they're taking me to the police station.
Gultekin Hajibeyli reported on her Facebook page* last night that Turkish security forces had come for her. "There was just a knock on the door of the apartment I share with my son in Istanbul. Security forces arrived, and they're taking me to the police station. There's no reason for this. I arrived in Turkey on September 25, and my three-month stay hasn't expired yet. On the other hand, I have a two-year residence permit in Turkey. Most likely, I'll be deported from Turkey by order of the Azerbaijani government," Hajibeyli wrote, whose publication was translated into Russian by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
She denied any connections to Mehdiyev. "If I'm connected to Ramiz Mehdiyev, then I'm the most dishonest person. May Allah punish those who slandered me, while I'm innocent," Hajibeyli added.
As a reminder, in 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan will increase for the first time since The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan exceeded 300 in the early 2000s. In October 2025, the Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan published a new national list of political prisoners, including 392 names.
The largest increase in prisoners occurred over the past year, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points About the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the presence of political prisoners in the country.
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/417660
![Tumso Abdurakhmanov. Screenshot from video posted by Abu-Saddam Shishani [LIVE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIR3s7AB0Uw](/system/uploads/article_image/image/0001/18460/main_image_Tumso.jpg "Tumso Abdurakhmanov. Screenshot from video posted by Abu-Saddam Shishani [LIVE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIR3s7AB0Uw")