Azerbaijani opposition accused of financing terrorism. Party members consider this revenge by authorities

An activist from the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) Niyameddin Ahmedov is accused of financing terrorism. He faces 10 to 14 years in prison. He himself denies this accusation and the Popular Front Party believes that the authorities are using this to take revenge on Ahmedov.

On April 15, 2020, Niyameddin Ahmedov was detained and sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention after being accused of violating the quarantine and disobeying the police. He claims the security forces tortured him, forcing him to testify against the Popular Front Party leader Ali Karimli.

After the period of administrative detention expired on May 15, Ahmedov was not released, but rather was charged with financing terrorism. This is money that was sent to Ahmedov by a person living abroad, stated his lawyer to Caucasian Knot. Ahmedov himself says that they were simply repaying a debt. No other details are yet known.

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Niyameddin Ahmedov provided security services to Ali Karimli at public events. The APFP has always had a bad relationship with the authorities, party members are often subjected to reprisals, and such cases have become more frequent since the quarantine was introduced Ali Karimli himself has been complaining for several weeks that he is constantly under pressured by the authorities.

The police, in turn, denied that the opposition member was tortured, and the Prosecutor General’s Office did not comment on his arrest.