Human Rights Defenders Announce New List of Political Prisoners

The head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy Leyla Yunus, the coordinator of the Public Alliance Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners Oktay Gulaliyev, the head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center Elshan Hasanov, and representatives of the public today presented a new list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan of 166 people.

The authors note that the list is designed in accordance with the criteria established in the PACE resolution No 1900 of October 3, 2012.

"At present in Azerbaijan there is a total of 166 prisoners of conscience and political prisoners. This figure does not fully reflect all political prisoners, whose number is constantly changing. The Azerbaijani authorities at the urging of local and international community release one group and then arrest another," the press release says.

A number of leading civil society activists of the country, intellectuals and media representatives, including Professor Jamil Hasanli, Mehman Aliyev, Avaz Zeynalli, Haji Rovshan Ahmedli, Eldaniz Guliyev, Hilal Mammadov, Samira Agayeva, Namizad Safarov, Elchin Mammadov, Ruslan Izzetli, Nasimi Mammadli, Taleh Khasmammadov, Malahat Nasibova, Atakhan Abilov, Natig Adilov, Vahid Maharramli and others supported the document.

Political prisoners named in this list are classified, according to the following sections:

"Journalists and bloggers" - 7 people, including Abdul Abilov, Nijat Aliyev, Araz Guliyev, Rashad Ramazanov, Seymour Hazy, Fikret Faramazoglu and Javid Shiraliyev.

"Writers poets" – the satirical poet Tofig Hasanov and Saday Shakarli.

"Human rights defenders" - Aliabbas Rustamov.

"Young activists" - five people, including Ilkin Rustamzadeh, Elvin Abdullayev, Giyas Ibrahimov, Bayram Mammadov, and Elghiz Gahraman.

Seven more people are in the category: "Politicians, activists of political parties" - Ilgar Mammadov, Zeynalabdin Bagirzadeh, Fuad Gahramanli, Asif Yusifli, Fuad Ahmadli, and Faig Amirli.

The largest group is "believers" - 120 people.

41 people are in the subgroup of those arrested in the case of the leader of the Islamic Party Movsum Samedov, "prisoners of hijab" (arrested for participating in a protest in front of the Ministry of Education); convicted for protesting in front of Eurovision SC and against the Folklore Festival in Masalli, the theologian Elshan Mustafaoglu and the cleric Abgul Suleymanov,

Next come 17 people arrested in the "Nardaran case", including Taleh Bagirzadeh.

Another 8 people are in the subgroup of Muslim Unity members arrested.

The list also includes 16 residents of the village of Nardaran, condemned mainly for illegal possession of weapons.

Also in the list there are five believers who were arrested for participating on November 5, 2016 in a protest in front of Sabunchu police during the detention of the deputy chairman of the movement Muslim Unity Elchin Gasimov.

In the group of "political hostages" there are five people – the brother-in-law of the leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli, Elnur Seyidov, the nephew of the former Rector of International University Elshad Abdullayev, the brother of the journalist Natig Adilov, Murad Adilov, the relatives of the journalist Ganimat Zahid, Rufat and Rovshan Zahidov.

In the group of "former officials" there are the ex-minister Ali Insanov, the former employee of the Special State Guard Service Asif Latifov and the former investigator of the Zardob district prosecutor's office Rufat Safarov.

The list also includes Vasif Ibrahimov convicted in connection with the unrest in Ismayilli.

Another 15 people were sentenced to life in prison, including former officers of the Special Police Regiment, former members of the Garangush team who fought in Karabakh and were convicted in the case of former Prime Minister Suret Huseynov,

The list is supported by the leading civil society activists, the country's intelligentsia and media people, including Professor Jamil Hasanli, Mehman Aliyev, Avaz Zeynalli, Haji Rovshan Ahmedli, Eldaniz Guliyev, Hilal Mammadov, Samira Agayeva, Namizad Safarov, Elchin Mammadov, Ruslan Izzetli, Nasimi Mammadli, Taleh Khasmamedov, Malahat Nasibova, Atakhan Abilov, Natig Adilov, Vahid Maharramli and others.

Note that yesterday a civil society working group published another list of 94 political prisoners (the report was signed by the human rights defenders Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliyev, Emin Huseynov, Malahat Nasibova, Samira Agayeva and Samir Kazimli, the civil society experts Akif Gurbanov, Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanov, the lawyers Khalid Baghirov, Khalid Agaliyev, Gunay Ismailova and Alasgar Mammadli, the journalists Khadija Ismayilova, Shahveled Chobanoglu, Aynur Imranova et al. - 24 people altogether).

On 94 political prisoners the positions of both groups coincide.

The difference is that some of the believers (45) were referred by the working group to the category of "potential political prisoners" in view of the fact they had not had access to the documents on their cases. -04B06--