ARRESTS IN FEBRUARY 2020
5 February
Religious activist detained
Elvin Muradov
Member of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM) Elvin Muradov was detained on 5 February 2020 at the Baku airport upon arrival from Moscow. This was reported by his relatives.
He has been working in Russia for a long time and periodically comes to Baku. The last time he was in Azerbaijan six months ago.
“This time he came in connection with the state of health and the birthday of the child. At 13:30 on arrival in Baku, he was detained at the airport by police. After that, there is no information about him,” said Muradov’s relatives.
They believe that Muradov was detained because of songs performed in defense of the convicted MUM leader, Tale Bagirzade.
“Murad is a poet and songwriter. Probably, he was arrested for poems and songs about Tale and other prisoners,” said relatives.
The attempts to get comments in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were futile.
6 February
Religious activist released after being detained at airport
Elvin Muradov
Elvin Muradov, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM), who was detained at the Baku airport and was arriving from Moscow the day before, was released late in the evening.
As it became known, Elvin Muradov was taken from the airport to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and released only at 23:00.
MUM linked the detention of Elvin Muradov, who lives mainly in Russia, with the writing of poems and songs about the organization’s leader Tale Bagirzade and other arrested activists.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not comment on the reason for the detention of Elvin Muradov.
29 February
Acting chair of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan arrested
Ilham Aliyev
On 29 February 2020, Ilham Aliyev (a namesake of the Azerbaijani President), the acting Chairman of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, was summoned to the State Security Service of Azerbaijan. Since then, all communications with him have been lost.
* The leader of the party, Movsum Samadov, was arrested on 7 January 2011 on charge of treason (Article 274 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan Republic). He was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 7 October 2011 on charges of trying to forcibly overthrow the constitutional order and create a religious state in the country.