Updated list of political prisoners

Baku / 25.11.9 / Turan: On November 25, the Working Group on the compilation of a single list of political prisoners released an updated list. It includes 112 names. The affairs of another 11 people are under monitoring.

112 people are classified in the following groups:

“Journalist and bloggers” - 5 people: Araz Guliyev, Elchin Ismayilli, Afgan Mukhtarly, Zia Asadli and Polad Aslanov;

“Political social activists” - 7 people: Fuad Ahmedli, Orhan Bahyshly, Mirfeyzulla Seidov, Salekh Rustamov, Agul Maharramov, Babek Hasanov and Pasha Umudov.

In the group "Religious Activists" - 45 people. This included convicts of the Nardaran affair, convicted together with the leader of the Islamic Party Movsum Samedov and others.

The members of the Former Life Group are still members of the former OPON, Elchin Amiraslanov, Arif Kazymov and Safa Poladov, who have been in prison since the mid-1990s.

Emin Sagiev is included in the category of “political hostage”. He is a relative of the opposition journalist Turkel Azertürk, who is in political emigration.

Three others were convicted under the Saeed Dadashbeyli Case.

A large group of 48 people are convicts in the Ganja case.

 As for the 11 persons under monitoring, 9 of them are those arrested in the Ganja case. In addition, the case of the journalist Shafag Agabalaeva (Agajan), who was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and athlete Renad Aliyev, whose brother is in political emigration, sharply criticizes the Azerbaijani authorities under monitoring.

Since the last report (September 3), eight people have been released. Five of them, including four persons involved in the Ganja case and human rights activist Aliabbas Rustamov, were sentenced to a lesser sentence.

Three more, including PFPA activist Asif Yusifli, were released after serving their sentence.

In addition, Eshgin Guliyev, a convict in the Ganja case, died of illness in prison.

Two people were included in the list - PFPA activist Pasha Umudov and Agshin Askerov.

The Working Group notes an increase in the number of politically motivated administrative arrests.

So, on the eve of the opposition rally on October 19 and after it, about 40 activists were arrested.

The Working Group notes that politically motivated administrative arrests are becoming commonplace. Since the beginning of the year, about 100 people have been arrested.

The working group calls on the international community to put pressure on the Azerbaijani government to put an end to this vicious practice.

The working group includes prominent representatives of civil society in Azerbaijan, in particular Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli, Khadija Ismayilova, Rovshan Hajibeyli and others. -06D—