PFPA demanded the release of political prisoners

Baku/17.12.23/Turan: The Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) demanded the release of political prisoners in the country. This is stated in the PFPA statement adopted at the party congress held on December 16.

“PFPA demands the release of all political prisoners in the country, including leading political figures Tofig Yagublu and Gubad Ibadoglu. The PFPA calls on the active public of the country to defend political prisoners more massively and decisively,” the party’s statement noted.
The PFPA also called on the international community to put pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities to release political prisoners, “even to the point of applying targeted sanctions.”

PFPA believes that the authorities want to weaken the opposition  as much as possible on the eve of the presidential elections on February 7.

“This is one of the reasons that the repression in the country has intensified in recent months,” the statement further noted.

It also states that among the political prisoners there are 10 PFPA members.
The authors of the document also refer to the “latest arrests” in Azerbaijan.
“Shortly before the arrest of Tofig Yagublu, a special operation was carried out against the independent online publication Abzas Media. Five of its employees were arrested, including the director and editor-in-chief, Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgyzy. In addition, two more journalists, Aziz Orujov and Teymur Kerimov, were arrested on criminal charges. In July 2023, the famous economist and chairman of the Azerbaijan Party of Democracy and Welfare Gubad Ibadoglu was arrested,” the statement further emphasizes.

  Political arrests have become the main tool for governing the country, the party statement further said.

According to the Union “For Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan,” as of December 1, there were 254 political prisoners in the country.—03B06-