Ali Karimli: Society Must Unite to Free Tofig Yagublu

Baku / 11.09.20 / Turan: On September 11, the leader of the Popular Front Party, Ali Karimli, visited the hunger strike participants at the headquarters of the Musavat party as a sign of solidarity with the convicted politician Tofig Yagublu.

Karimli called the hunger strike "great dedication."

“Tofig Yagublu's hunger strike is a test for our people. He did everything he could for the people, participated in the liberation movement, fought in the Karabakh war, and was twice nominated for the title of National Hero. Later, he was at the forefront of the struggle for democracy in Azerbaijan.

Tofig Yagublu is a brave hero who has gone through trials. Now the time has come for nationwide support, when he is forced to fight for the restoration of justice by holding a hunger strike,” Karimli said.

He pointed to a number of actions in defense of Yagublu involving all sectors of society. “Everyone is protesting against repression and the government and Ilham Aliyev must understand this,” Karimli said.

He noted that the hunger strike at the headquarters of Musavat and in Berlin organized by the journalist Afgan Mukhtarli are also a message to the public that it is necessary to protest against injustice.

Karimli stated that it is inadmissible to keep Yagublu and other participants in the Karabakh war in prisons. “If a war breaks out, these people will again rise to defend the Motherland. You can’t destroy people for love of the Motherland,” Karimli said.

While Yagublu is not released, the society's resistance to the injustice is not enough. Therefore, Karimli called on the champions of freedom to consolidate. The international democratic community should not remain indifferent to the destruction of freedom-loving citizens in Azerbaijan, Karimli said.

Recall that a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces and the Musavat party, Tofig Yagublu, was sentenced on September 3 to 4 years and 3 months in prison. In prison, he began a hunger strike that has been going on for 10 days.

International organizations condemned the verdict. Amnesty International recognized him as a “prisoner of conscience.” - 03B06--