New wave of sex scandals hits Azerbaijan, leaders of the ruling party are targeted

A new wave of sex scandals swept across Azerbaijan. Unlike the previous ones, when the main purpose of distributing intimate videos was to discredit the opposition, this time the leaders of the ruling New Azerbaijan party are targeted. Experts warn about video calls from scammers.

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On September 8, pro-government news sites in Azerbaijan spread an intimate video of Ramiz Goyushov, chairman of the Binagadi regional organization of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP). The 67-year-old party leader of one of the largest districts of Baku “did not suspect that a video was being recorded during the conversation and could not control his passion”, the report said.

Goyushov himself commented on the disseminated video and noted that it was fabricated for the purpose of blackmailing him:

“Today an unknown girl called me via video link. I rejected the call several times, but she called again and again. Finally, I answered. In the beginning, I didn’t understand what was going on. The girl was half-naked. I expressed my displeasure and ended the call. Then she called again. The widespread frames clearly show that I do not understand what is happening since I have never seen anything like this before. When I understood the girl’s intentions, I blocked her. After a while, they sent me this video from a Turkish number. I was blackmailed and told that if I cut off contact with them, this video would be distributed. Of course, I refused. Now they have published it to take revenge on me”.

Party reaction

The ruling party, chaired by President Ilham Aliyev, hastened to announce that the “victim” is not currently the chairman of the regional organization.

Moreover, on September 10 there was a meeting of the board of the New Azerbaijan Party, during which Ramiz Geyushov was expelled from the ranks of the political organization.

Oppositionist proves otherwise

After analyzing the documents of the New Azerbaijan Party, one of the leaders of the opposition Republican Alternative Party, Natig Jafarli, argues that at the time when the video was disseminated, Ramiz Geyushov held a leading position in the regional organization of Azerbaijan’s ruling party:

“The official statement of the New Azerbaijan Party says that on June 30, during the reporting conference, Ramiz Geyushov left the post of chairman of the regional organization.

But I looked at the official website of the party. Yes, indeed, a reporting conference was held on June 30. During it, the organization’s activities were assessed as satisfactory, but there is no information about the change of the head. There is also a video report about the conference, where you can clearly see how Ramiz Geyushov opens the event as chairman and closes it with his speech.

There is a rule in the state bodies of Azerbaijan, state-owned companies: when someone is hired, they write two applications at once – one upon hiring, the other upon dismissal from his position. The second document is signed, but there is no date. And when that person suddenly “makes a mistake,” date appears on that statement — usually one or two months before that event. Then they say that the person quit a few weeks before the incident, and the case is closed.

It seems that the same practice exists in the New Azerbaijan Party. The man holds the post of chairman but is said to have been fired on June 30. This is a cartoon, not a system”.

Another scandal

On September 10, another sex scandal hit the ruling party. According to the reports of Azerbaijani media, this time Vusal Hasanli, deputy chairman of the Salyan regional organization of the New Azerbaijan Party, appeared in an unsightly appearance in front of the cameras.

But the head of the party’s public relations department Elmeddin Guliyev, commenting on this, noted that there was no ordinary employee with that name in the YAP regional organization, let alone the party chairman.

Expert’s warning

Azerbaijan these days has become the target of cyber blackmailers, and politicians may suffer from this massive attack, says expert Farid Pardashunas.

“Friends, be careful. People of the older generation should be especially attentive.

Strangers may call you and during the conversation, they may show intimate parts of their bodies. Then you will be asked to show yours too. And when you succumb to persuasion, your conversation will be recorded. Then they will demand money to delete the entry. And if you refuse, the video will be distributed on the Internet.

I myself have already received several such calls, but knowing the methods of the scammers, the first thing I did was videotape them. You have to be careful, give up virtual intimate relationships with strangers”, the expert noted.