Ayaz Mütəllibov
Baku/28.03.22/Turan: On the evening of 27 March the first President of independent Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov died at 84 years old.
As relatives of the deceased told Turan, the funeral ceremony will begin at 1 pm in the center of culture of the State Security Service (former Dzerzhinsky club), and the funeral will take place at 3 pm in the Alley of honorary burial.
Ayaz Mutalibov, a former Communist Party functionary, came to big politics during the collapse of the USSR. At that time, he alternately served as head of the Azerbaijani government (1989 to 1990), First Secretary of the Communist Party (January-May 1990), President of Azerbaijan (1990-1992).
These years culminated in the aggravation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh when the Armenians of the region declared independence and secession from Azerbaijan.
Deteriorating relations between Baku and Moscow, the Kremlin's support for Armenians, and pressures by the opposition from People's Front resulted in serious losses in Karabakh and weakened Mutalibov's position.
Under pressures from the People's Front and amidst military failures in Karabakh, Mutalibov resigned on 6 March 1992.
On 14 May, at a session of the Supreme Soviet the deputies voted for Mutalibov's return to power. The next day the opposition began a nationwide rally and had actually
overthrown Mutalibov.
In the following years Mutalibov lived in exile in Moscow. A criminal case was opened against him in Baku on charges of the January 1990 Baku tragedy.
Azerbaijani authorities demanded his extradition several times; however, Moscow refused.
In 2002 a new criminal case was opened against Mutalibov on charges of organizing a coup d'etat in the fall of 2001.
After 10 years, the attitude against softened, so the authorities allowed Mutalibov to return to Baku and attend his son's funeral.
In 2012 Mutalibov announced that he was leaving politics, he was allowed to return to the country and the Azerbaijani Parliament passed a law giving the former President immunity against criminal prosecution.
In subsequent years, Mutalibov tried not to comment on domestic political problems and demonstrated loyalty to the Azerbaijani authorities. -02B-
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