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Opposition leader in custody in Azerbaijan
BAKU, Nov 18, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An opposition leader in Azerbaijan remains
in custody a day after being arrested for organising a memorial march, an
official from his party told AFP Sunday.
Ali Kerimli of the Popular Front party was arrested Saturday after
attempting to visit a memorial for those killed in protests during the oil-
rich nation’s secession from the USSR.
Also arrested was Jamil Hasanli, an opposition candidate during the
presidential election in 2013, activists said.
Police in the capital Baku said that 11 people in all had been detained.
“We still don’t know the whereabouts of the leader of the Popular Front
Party, Ali Kerimli, who was detained on November 17,” the deputy chairman of
the party Nureddin Mammadli told AFP.
Several other party activists were also still detained, though it was not
clear how many, he added.
Rights groups say the government of the Caspian state has clamped down on
opponents in recent years.
President Ilham Aliyev secured a fourth consecutive presidential term in
April with 86 percent of the vote, elections that international observers
said were marred by “serious irregularities” and lack of competition.
BSS/AFP/RY/1758 hrs