“Elhan Nuriyev has been arrested by Putin’s order”

On October 2, Elhan Nuriyev was detained in Poland. It is reported that Elhan Nuriyev, the former head of the executive power of Gubadli region, who was internationally wanted by Azerbaijan through Interpol, was charged under  the Articles 120 (deliberate murder) and 309 (abuse of power) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, and the court issued a warrant for his arrest. After leaving Azerbaijan, Elhan Nuriyev, as a citizen of Ukraine, repeatedly traveled abroad and freely visited Turkey and Poland, but never faced problems at border checkpoints between countries. The purpose of his last visit to Poland was to participate in consultations with European countries on the creation and preparation of an international tribunal condemning Russia's crimes in Ukraine.

The arrest of Elhan Nuriyev did not cause a clear reaction among those who knew him. Among those who came to Nuriyev's defense are Ukrainian deputies and the Ombudsman, as well as many political parties and public figures in Azerbaijan.

What political goals could actually be behind the arrest of Elhan Nuriyev?

Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Party Adalat Yusub answers ASTNA questions.

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Question: Who is Elhan Nuriyev, whom the Prosecutor General's Office brought such serious charges against?

Answer: Elhan Nuriyev was born in 1962 in the Gubadli region. He graduated from high school in his native area. He served in the Soviet Army on the territory of Ukraine. After serving in the army, he graduated from the Kharkov State Institute in Ukraine. In 1991, when the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict escalated, he returned to his homeland and joined the volunteer self-defense battalion to protect the Gubadli region.

He had exceptional merits in the formation of the Gubadli volunteer self-defense battalions, which were led by the national hero Aliyar Aliyev and Adil Gashimov. In September 1992, by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Elchibey, he was appointed head of the Executive Power of the Gubadli region. As the head of the Executive Power, he was at the forefront in organizing the defense of Gubadli.

On August 24, 1993, by the decree of Heydar Aliyev, he was relieved of the post of head of the executive power of the Gubadli region, and a day later he left the region and arrived in Baku. On August 30, the Armenian-Russian military formations invaded the Gubadli region. Released from his post, Elhan Nuriyev left Azerbaijan a few months later and returned to the Republic of Ukraine. Since then, Nuriyev, a citizen of Ukraine, has been actively involved in the social and political life of Ukraine and lives there.

Question: Why, 30 years after Elhan Nuriyev was removed from the post of the head of the Executive Power, charges are being brought against him?

Answer: For many years, I had almost constant contacts with Elhan. During this period, I did not feel any anxiety due to the fact that a criminal case was initiated against him. But now it turns out that in 1994, on the day of the occupation of the Gubadli region, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic decided to  file a lawsuit against him in connection with the premeditated murder of four officials, the organization of the murder of one person and the abuse of power, and he is on the international wanted list.

For this reason, on October 2, during a trip to the Republic of Poland, he was detained by Interpol officers and a Polish court for the purpose of investigation issued a warrant for his detention for a period of 33 days.

Currently, Polish law enforcement agencies are investigating the validity of the decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan to initiate a criminal case against Elhan Nuriyev.

I note that over the past 7-8 years I have witnessed numerous visits of Elhan Nuriyev to European countries and Turkey. At the border crossings during these trips,  he had never  faced any dangerous situation and therefore his detention for the above reason, after 30 years, raises serious suspicions, and  it could be  conluded that Elhan Nuriyev  was detained order.

Question: What are the reasons for the arrest of Elhan Nuriyev? Who could order his arrest?

Answer: Elhan Nuriev,  a citizen of Ukraine, is not an ordinary person. He is not only a member of the "Union of Officers" of Ukraine, but also the chairman of the Central Control and Audit Commission of this structure.

During the reign of Poroshenko, he   occupied such important positions as the  adviser to the Minister of Education, chairman of the tender commission at the Ministry of Education. Elhan Bey is still the coordinator of the Poroshenko-led party with the Verkhovna Rada.

He not only has an active social and political position, but is also a person who plays an important role in the provision and development of technical, tactical, political, ideological and moral training of the Ukrainian army in the war against  Russia.

Having created an anti-Putin information front after the occupation of Crimea by Russia, Elhan Nuriyev, as the coordinator of this front, was engaged in important activities to systematically convey to the world community the true goals of the Crimean occupation and the dangers that Putin’s imperialist, annexationist policy poses to humanity. Elhan Nuriyev, who constantly exposes Putin's aggressive intentions, tried to justify the participation of the leaders of authoritarian regimes, who in one form or another support the annexationist policy.

The role of Elhan in revealing the annexationist nature of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia's policy in the Caucasus, including in Karabakh, and in shaping public opinion in our society in this regard is undeniable. His incessant social media propaganda campaign not only increased the hatred in our society for the Russian occupation, but also fueled growing discontent with the local regime that supports this policy.

The power of his words, his logic and truth could not but disturb Putin's Russia and local authorities. His detention by Interpol at the Polish border should be regarded as a joint operational measure of the aforementioned regimes and clearly indicates that it was ordered by Putin.

Question: What threat does he pose to the authorities or those who arrested him that a decision was made to arrest him?

Answer: A few days before his last trip to Europe, Elhan Nuriyev made a statement on his social media account about the time and purpose of the trip. The main purpose of the visit to Europe under his leadership was to start a public movement for the establishment of the 2nd Nuremberg Court in Europe to prosecute Putin's crimes. Of course, the steps that should have been taken in this direction could not help but worry Putin. These reasons determined the need to localize the activities of Elhan. Unfortunately, the blow came from Azerbaijan, which he loves more than life itself.

Question: What should be done to release Elhan Nuriyev?

Answer: In protecting the rights of Elhan Nuriyev, the Azerbaijani public, including political parties, public associations and representatives of civil society, bears a great responsibility. In order to ensure that the real facts about Elhan are brought to the Polish court, it is urgent to create a public investigative group, consisting of experts and public and political figures.