Musavat Party Activist A. Khurshidov Detained in Shirvan

A local activist of the Musavat Party, Alikram Khurshidov, was detained in the city of Shirvan last night.

This was reported to Turan by the Chairman of the Musavat Party Mejlis, Arif Hajili.

According to him, about 15-20 masked people broke into Khurshidov's house and detained him. Before that, the electricity was cut off in the area where Khurshidov lives.

"Alikram Khurshidov was taken to the Shirvan Police Department and there is information that he was tortured there," Hajili said.

He emphasized that Khurshidov is a member of the Musavat Party, known for his critical publications on social media.

"There is no doubt that he was detained precisely because of this. His detention is a continuation of the policy of repression in the country," Hajili emphasized.

The Musavat Party demands the release of Khurshidov and all other political prisoners in the country, Gadzhily said.

"In the middle of the night, many masked policemen burst into our home. My grandchildren are still scared. Masked people jumped over the fence and knocked on our door. As soon as we opened the door, they grabbed Alikram and, beating him with batons, dragged him out of the house," the activist's mother, Antiga Khurshidova, told Turan.

She is outraged by the actions of the security forces. "They could have called, summoned Alikram by phone or sent a summons. Why was it necessary to wake a person up at night, beat him with batons in front of his children and take him away? In what laws is this prescribed?" A. Khurshidova continued.

She believes that the activist was detained because of his post on social networks in connection with the Imishli events.

On January 18, a traffic accident involving a police car occurred in the Imishli district of Azerbaijan, killing two children and injuring three others. The police car hitting the children sparked protests among local residents.

A group of angry people smashed the police car and clashed with security forces, and several people were detained.

“Because masked people were talking about this publication at night,” said A. Khurshidova

Alikram Khurshidov has been arrested before.

In July 2022, he was arrested for 30 days administratively on charges of “disobeying the police” for participating in a protest in Baku.

In November 2017, Khurshidov was arrested on criminal charges of “hooliganism” and “resisting a government official with violence” and sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Human rights activists have recognized him as a political prisoner.

In March 2019, Khurshidov was released on pardon.