On Monday, about ten members of the Popular Front Party, an opposition group, were detained outside Baku’s Nasimi District Court pending the ongoing trial of the party’s chair Ali Karimli. 

After the police dispersal, the court process began and according to the decision, Karimli was fined ֏1500 ($882). He had been sued for slander by the former chair of the Control and Audit Commission of the party, Aydin Aliyev, who was expelled from the party in 2019.

Karimli’s lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev said the decision would be appealed. 

Karimli’s deputy Seymur Hazi posted on Facebook that before the trial, police officers began removing those gathered in front of the court from the square.

‘Police violence occurs before the trial of Ali Karimli. Several of the members are detained. The police are taking the front-line soldiers who came to the court out of the district. It is not allowed to gather even in the third microdistrict,’ Hazi said,

Later, Hazi added a new post and stated that Ruslan Amirov was brutally detained, as were party members Gulnara Rahimova, Elchin Hajivalli, Vidadi Mirkamal, Rovshan Safarov, Mikayil Ismailov, Bakhtiyar Huseynov, Fuad Abdullaev, Elmaddin Muradov, Rovshan Asvarov, Shakar Shukur, Rovshan Rahimov, Tunzala Amirova, and Matanat Turan. The rest were taken away from the court.’ ,

Hazi told OC Media that two other detainees, Tunzala Amirova and another female member of the party ‘were released in the Binagadi district area. Now the number of the detainees is eight.’ 

Following the court’s decision, news about the arrests spread on social media. Independent journalist Fatima Movlamli told OC Media that Gulnara Rahimova, Ruslan Amirov, Rovshan Safarov, Rovshan Asvarov, and Elmaddin Muradli were beaten by the police while in detention. 

‘Ruslan Amirov’s forehead, mouth, and nose were bloodied at the 20th police station. He is barely breathing and has an injury to his ribs. [The detainees were charged with] petty hooliganism, and disobeying the police officer or a military serviceman while performing duties to protect public order, [and] deliberately failing to comply with their legal requirements.’ 

Pressure on the opposition party began on Friday, as party member Malik Babayev was arrested from his house. Following this, Babayev and another party member Natig Abbasov — were detained on administrative charges. Babayev was given 15 days in detention for unknown charges on Friday, and Abbasov was given 25 days for disobeying the police on Saturday. A third member, Emin Abbasov, was detained on Sunday while taking a photo of Natig Abbasov outside of court.