Yet another bodyguard of opposition party leader arrested in Azerbaijan
Two bodyguards of the leader of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) Ali Karimli have been arrested in the past week. The first was Niyameddin Akhmedov, who was accused of financing terrorism. And immediately after him, Sayid Mamadzade was arrested on charges of hooliganism with the use of weapons. The APFP believes that both of these charges are fabricated, politically motivated, and that this is how the authorities are trying to put pressure on the party.
Sayid Mamadzade volunteered to ensure the safety of Ali Karimli at public events. He is accused of attacking someone with a knife, reports Caucasian Knot. Mamedzade faces two to six years in prison, but for now, the court has chosen to keep him in pre-trial detention for three months.
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The press service of the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that Mamadzade was arrested, but claim that his involvement with the opposition had nothing to do with it.
“Mamadzade’s party affiliation is of no consequence. The investigation shows that he injured a citizen with a knife in a car wash he operated,” stated the ministry.
At the same time, Ayaz Maharramli, a member of the APFP general committee, claims to have seen someone insulting and provoking Sayid Mamadzade at the car wash, but says that he did not react in any way. Maharramli believes that this is the incident the authorities are trying to claim was an attack.
“This is a new wave of repression against the APFP. Over the past month and a half, more than 15 of our activists have put in administrative detention, and three people have been prosecuted. Ten more people were previously given lengthy prison sentences,” said the deputy chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Gozal Bayramli.
