Ali Karimli, chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), has been arrested. The party chairman, detained by the State Security Service, has been charged under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that the aforementioned article of the Criminal Code refers to actions aimed at the violent seizure of power, or the violent retention of power, as well as the violent alteration of the constitutional structure of the state, contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
If the article is proven, the accused person is punished with deprivation of liberty for a period of twelve to twenty years or life imprisonment.
By court decision, a pre-trial detention measure has already been chosen for Ali Karimli and his deputy Mammad Ibrahim. Their detention and arrest are related to the case of Ramiz Mehdiyev.
Following the arrest of Ali Karimli and his deputy, the issue of dissolving the party he leads has come to the agenda.
In a statement to Modern.az, Ali Huseynli, chairman of the Legal Policy and State Building Committee of the Milli Majlis, stated that the Popular Front movements in the post-Soviet space were once created precisely as a result of Gorbachev's perestroika policy, and during Yeltsin's rule, they were actively used in a supposedly "democratic" process, but in reality, a destructive process. In this regard, the connections of APF chairman Ali Kerimov with known circles in our northern neighbor are not surprising.
"During the 2013 Azerbaijani Presidential elections, cooperation with the "Billionaires' Union" in Russia, the "National Council" project, etc., are precisely the result of these processes and a clear example of the activities of the 5th column.
In fact, in many post-Soviet countries, such parties have either been dissolved or have long ceased their activities. In Azerbaijan, too, after the adoption of the new law "On Political Parties," a new political configuration and a new dialogue environment were created. However, the re-registration of a party named APFP, a party that did not even accept the victory of the Azerbaijani state and people as a result of the Patriotic War, was surprising. Perhaps this was the last chance given to that party. But unfortunately, they did not draw conclusions from it," Ali Huseynli stated.
The committee chairman believes that, as a result of the current investigations, the issue of APFP's registration should be reconsidered in accordance with the legislation.
Elnur Amirov
