Ali Kerimli can be arrested

Some forces in the leadership of Azerbaijan speak for the arrest and neutralization of the chairman of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli,  according to informed source, who requested anonymity. The same source said that the arrest had been planned for the period of absence  in the country of  the President Ilham Aliyev, who since the end of last week is on holiday. A series of arrests of PPFA activists in recent days should be the prelude to neutralize Kerimli.

In the evening on August 19 the State Service Security and General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement about the arrest of an employee of the cellular company "Azerfon" Fuad Ahmadli on charges of distributing personal data of subscribers, as well as being sympathetic to the disgraced Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen.

 On August 20 was arrested  the financial director of the newspaper "Azadlig" Faig Amirov, who  is declared as  Imam  of the Gülen Movement "Khizmat". On August 24 was arrested a member of the PPFA, Ismayil Rasulov. On the same day at the trial  in the case of the leader of the "Muslim unity" Movement  Haji Tale Bagirzade once again stated that he was forced to testify that "the Nardaran events" were organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces and Ali Kerimli.

Over the past 10 days have been arrested six members of PFPA. State structures and the media actively try to convince the public of closer ties of the PPFA  with the Gulen Movement.  They even talk about a criminal case, which is investigating the connection  of  the Azerbaijani opposition  with  Fatulla Gülen.

It is expected that the financial audit will begin in the “Azadlig” newspaper close to  the PFPA and arrest  of Amirov is an occasion to start these checks, the source said.

The opposition denies the statements of the  government on cooperation with Gülen, naming specific examples of cooperation with the Azerbaijani authorities with  "Khizmat" Movement. In 2014 were removed from office a number of individuals in the Administration of the President and other state institutions, according to media reports, found guilty of having links with Gülen.

Asking the question  on the need  to neutralize Kerimli, a source linked  this issue  with the referendum on changes to the constitution initiated by the president on September 26, and the subsequent period of consolidation of power in the hands of President Ilham Aliyev.

These circles believe that Kerimli and his associates must be neutralized in order to limit their impact on the political processes that are taking place against a background of growing social and economic crisis.-0-