The REAL Party

6 Posts

•

0 Followers

Azar Gasimli, the former Deputy Chair of the opposition REAL Party and Director of the Institute of Political Management. Image via social media.

Azerbaijan

Former deputy chair of the REAL Party detained in Azerbaijan

by Aytan Farhadova

•2 min read

Azar Gasimli, the former Deputy Chair of the opposition REAL Party and Director of the Institute of Political Management, has been sentenced to four months in pre-trial detention. He is facing charges of demanding money by threat or force, which carry a prison sentence of five to ten years. Gasimli was originally detained on 8 December and held for around 48 hours, which his lawyer Agil Layij told Meydan TV was against the law. ‘A complaint against Gasimli was filed by the person who took

2024 Azerbaijani Parliamentary Elections

Azerbaijan’s opposition REAL party to elect new chair

by Aytan Farhadova

•3 min read

Azerbaijan’s opposition Republican Alternative Party (REAL) has announced that it will elect a new chair by the end of the month, following the resignation of its chair Ilgar Mammadov for failing to secure a seat in the parliamentary elections. Mammadov resigned from his position on 11 September following the the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) decision to reject his appeal over electoral fraud in the 1 September snap parliamentary elections. He had earlier vowed to resign from his posi

Rafig Manafli was forced to step down from the National Council's coordination council after footage of him stating that he regretted that Adolf Hitler ‘did not exterminate the gays in 1941-1945’ leaked online.

Azerbaijan

Leaked Zoom meetings reveal homophobia and discord among Azerbaijan’s opposition

by OC Media

•5 min read

Leaked videos from online meetings of Azerbaijan’s opposition National Council of Democratic Forces appear to show homophobic attitudes and a hostility to other opposition parties within the block’s top ranks. On 13 May, two videos from an online video conference on the Zoom application held a day before were leaked online. Two other videos from a meeting on 5 May in which Ali Karimli, the leader of the opposition Popular Front Party was present, were leaked on 17 May. One video showed lea

Ilgar Mammadov (left) and Rasul Jafarov (right). Photo: Fargana Novruzova.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani activists react with scepticism to ReAl party acquittals

by OC Media

•4 min read

A number of human rights and opposition activists in Azerbaijan have reacted with scepticism to the acquittals of ReAl party leader Ilgar Mammadov and prominent party member Rasul Jafarov. The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan overturned the convictions of the two men on 23 April. The court also awarded Mammadov ₼234,000 ($138,000) in compensation for moral damages; Jafarov received ₼57,400 ($34,000). Suspicions about the ReAl Party from other opposition parties and local rights activists have gro

A police officer stands near a bus with protesters inside. Photo: Nurlan Gakhramanli

2020 Azerbaijani Parliamentary Election

Azerbaijani police strand Baku protesters around the country

by OC Media

•7 min read

Dozens of people protesting the results of 9 February’s parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan including opposition leaders and candidates were detained on Sunday and left by police throughout the country. Police detained protesters in Baku taking them by bus and leaving them up to 300 kilometres away. The rally in front of the Central Election Committee (CEC) was announced by the opposition Real and Musavat parties, the D18 Movement, and two independent candidates. The Baku City Administr

Azerbaijan

Charges dropped against Huseynov after thousands rally in Baku

by OC Media

•5 min read

The Azerbaijani authorities have dropped new charges against imprisoned anti-corruption blogger Mehman Huseynov following large protests in the capital. Thousands gathered in Baku on Saturday calling for Huseynov’s release and an end to political prosecutions and corruption in the country. Huseynov, 26, was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2017 on charges of defamation, after accusing the police of abducting and torturing him. On Tuesday, the Prosecutor General’s Office droppe