Muslim Unity Joins Boycott of Elections

Baku / 27.03.18 / Turan: The Muslim Unity Movement announced the boycott of the extraordinary presidential elections scheduled in Azerbaijan for April 11. This decision was made by the leadership of the movement, who is in prison.

This was stated by the representative of the organization at the meeting of the Coordination Center for the Protection of Prisoners" Families.

"Unfortunately, there is no fair judicial or transparent electoral system in the country. For many years people suffer from injustice of courts, election fraud, and illegal arrests," the representative of the movement said.

In this regard, the Muslim Unity declares a boycott of the elections, in view of their formal nature. At the same time, the movement does not intend to put up with injustice, and will continue its struggle.

The leadership of the Muslim Unity led by Taleh Bagirzadeh was arrested in November 2015 after a special operation of the Interior Ministry in Nardaran, when 6 people were killed.

According to the human rights activist Ogtay Gulaliyev, more than 200 people were arrested at that time. Some of them were subjected to short-term administrative arrests. Criminal cases were initiated against 82 people and 60 of them are still held in prisons.

At a meeting of the Coordination Center for the Protection of Prisoners" Families on Monday, the attitude to the appeals of the authorities to conduct political struggle within the framework of ethical norms was expressed.

"Is this an ethical struggle, when they attack and seize people's houses, torture them, and sentence them to long periods of imprisonment? Is this an ethical struggle, when people are arrested on slanderous charges and forced to abandon their relatives?" Gulaliyev said.

He reported on the preparation of a report on the pressure on relatives of political prisoners, which will be made public in the near future.

It should be noted that earlier the National Council of Democratic Forces, the Musavat Party, the Umid Party, the Republican Alternative Movement, the NIDA Movement, and the Movement for Democracy and Prosperity announced the boycott of the elections or refusal to participate in them. -06D--