Ali Kerimli: This Political Order Came Directly from President Ilham Aliyev

The Ministry of Justice refused to recognize the results of the PFPA congress on 28 September at which Ali Kerimli wass elected the chairman of the party. Claims to the post of head of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party were made by Razi Nurullayev, who, with a group of former members of the PFPA, held a so-called "Congress of PFPA confidence." In connection with the two appeals to the Justice Ministry on the recognition of competence by Kerimli and Nurullayev, the ministry encouraged them to resolve the dispute in court.

Kerimli told Turan the decision of the Ministry of Justice was illegal.

"According to the amendments to the legislation, in the case of a party's Congress and the formation of a new management this should be reflected in the public register. Previously, this was not so. In 1992, when a law was passed on political parties, after registration they fully acted independently without any interference from the government and the Ministry of Justice. Perhaps the amendments were made to the law just to use them against us," said Kerimli.

According to him, Azerbaijan Popular Front Party after the congress presented the documents to the Justice Ministry on the new composition of the party leadership with the aim of making them in the state register.

However, the Ministry of Justice returned the documents under the pretext that the agency was also addressed by the Razi Nurullayev group.

"The actions of the Ministry of Justice are completely illegal. Nurullayev himself held a press conference after I removed him from the post of deputy chairman of the party, which said that he had resigned from PFPA. This statement was shown on TV and it was seen by millions of people. People around him resigned from PFPA many years ago. We are talking about 5-6 people who in the past were legitimately excluded from PFPA and now none of them has the right to speak on behalf of the party," said Kerimli.

He noted that the government has a biased attitude towards Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, because the authorities could not "digest the principled position of the party."

He recalled that in 2003, the government canceled the registration of PFPA and recognized Gudrat Hasanguliyev as PFPA. After 9 days, the decision was reversed. In 2006, PFPA was deprived of the headquarters.

In 2011, the doors of the rented party office were closed by welding. In 2014, another office was blown up. For 10 years Kerimli has not been given a passport.  Everything is done to weaken the party and put it out of action.

Activists of the party are offered bribes, money and positions.

Today, in jail there are 7 political prisoners, members of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, continued Kerimli.

"They saw that the restriction of activities, arrests cannot cope with PFPA. Now, for the government, using the administrative functions of the Ministry of Justice, just wants to make this ministry execute political orders and put PFPA outlawed. But all this will not have any significant impact on the activities of the PFPA," said Kerimli.

However, he pointed out that the provision of the decision to the discretion of the court could be a trick. For we all know how the courts operate in Azerbaijan. It is not difficult to imagine how the decision will be made by the court subjected to the Ministry of Justice after the Ministry demonstrated such a position.

"This is an instruction issued directly by Ilham Aliyev, and the courts will continue this line. From a legal point of view, this process may cause problems for the legitimate structures of PFPA. But we will appeal to the European Court. At the same time, we will continue to actual activities. Since our registration the government still does not recognize our rights and privileges as a party, so now we have nothing to lose. After all, being a legal entity, we are not provided an office or funding from the state, so how could they deprive of it now? If there was a proportional electoral system, now we could worry about problems with participation in voting. But registration did not provide any advantage to PFPA. Therefore, the availability of registration for us is not significant. Our business is to work among the population, with the media, in social networks, and carrying out actions," continued Karimli.

Why have the authorities taken this step now?

"In reality, the authorities have done it not for a good life. They face serious problems. In the near future socio-economic tensions in the country will only grow, and in 2016 they will reach a peak point. In our 2014-2015, rallies we showed that despite the repression in the country there is a force that is able to mobilize the protest electorate, dissatisfied with the government, and this is the National Council, including the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party. The authorities think that they will be able in this way to divert the attention of their main alternative to its own problems during the crisis to avoid a mass popular movement. But they are wrong. We do not stop working with the people. As always, we'll be together again with our oppressed citizens whose rights are routinely violated. When the social order comes, we will lead protests. In this process, the latest step or sanction of the authorities may be illegal arrests of activists and members of the leadership of the party. However, PFPA has always faced arrests. As I said, 7 of the party functionaries are under arrest now. PFPA will continue its struggle. The government of Azerbaijan by this step will only disgrace itself in the whole world. It will once again demonstrate that it has become a fully authoritarian one that cannot tolerate the existence of a real legal opposition and wants to form a completely one-party system.

The authorities want a one-party system plus pseudo- opposition parties that would act on the orders of its conductor. But their dream will not come true. PFPA will further enhance b ecause people dissatisfied with the government, supporters of change in the country are convinced that the government is afraid of the organization, which it sees as an alternative to itself, and that is PFPA," Kerimli summed up.  -03D—