J.Hasanly: Supporters of Gulen in the higher echelons of power in Azerbaijan

Chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan, Jamil Hasanli, responded to the authorities' attempts to link the leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli with the Turkish  spiritual figure  Fethullah Gulen,  whom Ankara accuses of coup d'etat in Turkey.

On his page on facebook Jamil Hasanli wrote:

To blame the National Council, Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Ali Kerimli, and me, for some kind of religious radicalism are the old plans of the authorities. I remember well that at a meeting of the National Council, in the hands of a former members of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) was raised the LIH flag.  They wanted to photograph and show Europe that the National Council protects a terrorist organization. However, on the contrary, the raised the flag became the reason that things went wrong, and the victim became the MNS itself. Then, the authorities wanted to mobilize “the Islamists” to the National Council meetings, but it was revealed. It's no longer a secret that the "Nardaran operation» conducted last November was organized against me and Ali Kerimli. During the investigation Haji Tale Bagirzade was subject to unbelievable torture so that he testified that we were preparing a coup. However, Haji Tale turned to be   mentally and physically stronger than they expected. At the trial this plan of the regime plan was exposed. Discouraged authorities are now trying to connect their hopes regarding Ali Kerimli with the adventure with Gülen. Previously Eynulla, who is the mouthpiece of the government, accused Ali Kerimli of the creation of a Shiite state, and now he began to represent him as the main coordinator of the Gulen network in Azerbaijan and the supporter of Gulen. It seems Gulen’s network brought to Azerbaijan not the authorities, but Kerimli; and as if official permission to open Gülen’s schools in the country gave not the government agencies, but Kerimli.

It seems that the Gülen Movement in the country protected not the presidential administration, but the PFPA; as if the US Congressmen were brought in Azerbaijan in 2013 not by SOCAR   with the help of Gulen, but Ali Kerimli; as if the air time on Khazar TV to supporters of Gulen was given not by power, but by Ali Kerimli.

Khazar TV, being the main propaganda mouthpiece of Gulen supporters, during the presidential elections conducted against us even more aggressive fight than AzTV. The reason is that the instruction came from officials in the presidential administration, who coordinated Gulen network in Azerbaijan. Those who still used the Gulen network for foreign lobbying activities, as well as for internal policies, now as a target point to Ali Kerimli.

Eynulla spreads his opuses through “Interfax” which is under the control of Russia, as well as through various shady structures in Turkey. Russian can be understood, but how can we understand the officials of Azerbaijan, which remained silent during the 15 hours after the Turkish coup, expecting the results. At the peak of the whole drama just Ali Kerimli expressed clear position against the military coup, publicly supported on   behalf of people the officially elected Turkish authorities, and thus demonstrated the different groups of trolls in the hands of the Azerbaijani authorities the allegiance to his position.

Ali Kerimli was the first politician who expressed his clear position at the crucial moment of a coup d'etat on July 15. And now, though it is absurd, those who openly or secretly cooperated with the Gulen network chose Ali Kerimli as a target. After "exposing" Ali Kerimli on the "Nardaran case» the authorities have launched a new criminal network and fabricate a new false accusation. Threat to the activist Elnur Seyidov was the announcement of the forthcoming charges. Today it was announced that a lawsuit has been filed against supporters of  Fatullah Gulen  who is accused of attempting a coup d'etat in Turkey. There is no doubt that the authorities will be looking for them not among  their people, but will try to direct  searches against  the democratic camp in order to distract public attention from the theme  of changes to the Constitution. Otherwise they will have to look for the supporters of Gulen in the Office of the President, of SOCAR, various ministries, even in the Milli Mejlis, because in our country without the participation of the authorities could not be any supporters of Gulen, or Nur, or  Wahhabis, or Salafis. It seems that the authorities want to hold a referendum peacefully, without the headaches. That is  the source of the plan, which aims to present  Ali Kerimli, one of the leaders of the secular opposing  the power, as a representative of the religious Gülen network.