Ali Karimli: I Am Actually Locked in My Apartment

Baku /16.04.20 / Turan: The aggression of the authorities against the members of the Popular Front Party and the persecution and arrest of its activists are unfounded and inexplicable. The leader of the opposition organization Ali Karimli said this in an interview with the Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America radio.

Accusations by the authorities that the opposition is allegedly glad for the Corona Virus and the deaths are absurd. “From the first days of the epidemic, we have come forward with calls and ideas on how to save society from this disaster. Who and when heard that we rejoiced in this tragedy?” he noted.

In recent days, authorities have arrested dozens of activists on false charges. “It got to the point that they block my phones and the Internet. I’m actually locked in my apartment,” Karimli said.

The authorities consider criticism of the government and public demands to heed the opposition’s calls as hostile activity. The authorities are concerned that the discontent of the people may result in a real protest, he further noted.

The authorities should begin real reforms, not in words. The solution is not to chase the opposition and look for enemies where they are not. The solution is to support vulnerable sectors of society. There are at least 3 million such people. There are reserves for this. Following this, real economic and political reforms are needed. “It is necessary to ensure the basic freedoms of people and achieve real, not imaginary civil consent,” Ali Karimli emphasized.

Instead, the authorities are launching a new wave of reprisals against dissidents and the opposition, and are subjected to serious international pressure and criticism. If you don’t stop all this, the country will face a social explosion and hard times, the PFPA leader concluded.    -03B-