Azerbaijani opposition figure Arif Hajili faces a travel ban.

Arif Hajili, chairman of the opposition Musavat party's parliament, was unable to board a flight to Vienna to attend an international congress due to a travel ban from Azerbaijan. Hajili called the restriction on his rights unjustified.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in April the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sent questions to the Azerbaijani authorities regarding complaints from 16 individuals who claimed they were illegally banned from leaving the country. The complaint was filed by journalists, activists, and analysts who are involved in criminal cases as witnesses or suspects.

Arif Hajili, Chairman of the Majlis (the highest party body) of the Musavat Party, was unable to fly to Vienna for an international event after being denied boarding. The purpose of the trip was to attend the congress of an influential European political organization on July 3-4. Hajili himself spoke about this.

"My participation in the congress <…>, of which Musavat has been a member for many years, and in the events leading up to this forum were planned. My flight was scheduled for 10:30 (9:30 Moscow time). However, at border control at the Baku airport, I was informed that a ban on my exit from the country had been imposed. My attempts to clarify the reasons for the ban and find out which agency had imposed the restriction were futile," Hajili told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He considered the denial of exit from the country unlawful, since there had been no recent criminal cases against him, he had not been called in even as a witness, and had no other outstanding obligations imposed by government agencies.

Hajili said he saw no other reasons for restricting his rights other than political ones related to his opposition activities. He noted that after consulting with lawyers, he will determine his further legal actions regarding the restrictions on his right to freedom of movement.

Restrictions on residents' exit from the country are permissible in cases stipulated by Article 9 of the Migration Code of Azerbaijan, noted former member of the Azerbaijan Bar Association, lawyer Yalchin Imanov.

This applies to criminal prosecution if the person is a suspect or accused, has a suspended sentence, or has failed to fulfill tax obligations or other obligations imposed by the court, the lawyer explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Azerbaijani authorities are required to notify residents in advance of travel restrictions. Applying travel bans in other circumstances is unlawful, the lawyer noted.

Caucasian Knot has not yet received a comment from the Azerbaijani State Border Service.

As a reminder, in May, Azerbaijani authorities banned the mother of arrested Meydan TV journalist Aytaj Tapdyg, Dilruba Amanova, from leaving the country. The woman was twice prevented from leaving Azerbaijan, although after the first attempt, security officials assured her that the ban had been lifted.

On February 21, activist Sara Rahimova was detained in Baku and notified of a travel ban, citing her status as a suspect in a criminal case. After her release, Ragimova linked the criminal prosecution to her social activities.

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