AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES BLAME OPPOSITIONISTS TOFIG YAGUBLU AND ILGAR MAMEDOV IN ORGANIZING RIOTS IN ISMAYILLI; THEY ARE ARRESTED
16:35 05/02/2013 ” SOCIETY
In Azerbaijan, the oppositionists were arrested being accused of
organizing a rebellion in Ismayilli region. One of them is the Deputy
Chairman of oppositional “Musavat” party, Tofig Yagublu, whose
daughter is arrested for several months already. The other one is the
chairman of the civil movement “REAL” Ilgar Mamedov, who is the
director of the Baku School of Political Studies of the Council of
Europe.
According to the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty the Nasimi
District Court of Baku implemented preventive punishment against Tofig
Yagublu and Ilgar Mamedov putting them under arrest for 2 months. The
two oppositionists denied the accusations about being the organizers
of riots in Ismayilli region, and reasoned their visit to the area by
the intention of getting acquainted with the circumstances. If it is
proved that they are guilty they will face a sentence of 10 years, the
Radio Liberty reports.
In a joint release of Interior Affair’s Ministry and the Prosecutor
General’s Office in connection with the events taken place in
Ismayilli district, is said that on January 23 in Ismayilli, being
drunk, the administrator of “Chirag” Hotel Emil Shamseddinov and his
friend Elmeddin Mamedov committed acts of hooliganism. As a result,
mass disorders occurred, and the group of people that had gathered at
the scene set fire to “Chirag” hotel and cars.
As the statement of the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan reads,
“According to the results of the investigation,” it turned out that
the Deputy Chairman of oppositional “Musavat” party, Tofig Yagublu and
the co-chair of the Movement “REAL” Ilgar Mamedov visited Ismayilli
region on January 24, “where they called on the local residents to
disrupt the social and political stability by resisting the police,
and not obeying to anyone.” “Their illegal actions that were aimed at
destabilizing the situation in the country, will be fully and
thoroughly investigated, after which they will be given legal
assessment,” the statement of the Interior Affair’s Ministry and the
Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan reads.
“Radio Liberty” recalls that earlier Tofig Yagublu’s eldest daughter
Nigar Yagublu, an activist of Musavat party was sentenced to four
years imprisonment on charges of committing a car accident. Tofig
Yagublu who is deputy head of the Musavat party and a columnist in the
“Yeni Musavat” newspaper is also a veteran of Karabakh war.
In its turn, news agency “Turan” emphasizes that Ilgar Mamedov as
director of the Baku School of Political Studies of the Council of
Europe is in fact, the staff member of this international
organization. This fact inevitably will lead Mamedov’s case into huge
international resonance. Never before were the representatives of
influential international organization in Azerbaijan attracted to
criminal proceedings.
Unrests in Ismailli district began at the evening of January 23, after
an accident in which the nephew of the head of Nizami Alekperov and
son of the Minister of Labor Fizuli Alekperov – Vugar Alekperov – were
involved. His car crashed into another car, Alekperov then began to
insult the local residents. According to one of Ismayilli residents,
relative of the minister took a pack of money out of his pocket and
said: “You have no dignity (geyret), I can buy your mothers and
sisters for this money.”
Information about the insults spread through the district and angry
residents began to smash the commercial entities of Alekperov’s family
up. Internal troops and Special Forces were involved in the incident.
They fired rubber bullets and tear gas. As a result of clashes many
people were arrested and dozens injured. Ismayilli region is located
in the north of Azerbaijan and is bordered by Guba region, where in
March 2012 the population rioted against lawlessness of Azerbaijani
officials. Ismayilli region just like Guba, is also included in the
historical area of indigenous nations of Azerbaijan.
Source: Panorama.am
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
