Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.
Crimean Tatar activist Ametkhan Abdulvapov, sentenced to 10.5 years in prison, is being held in punishment cell in IK-2 in Angarsk, Irkutsk region.
Earlier, Abdulvapov's father appealed to the Investigative Committee with a request to conduct an investigation into the circumstances that led to the deterioration of his health. The man suggests that the beatings in the colony could have been the cause of his son's stroke.
Ametkhan Abdulvapov was detained in 2022 in Crimea on charges of terrorism. The man was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison. The Crimean Tatar was accused of membership in the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has been banned in Russia since 2003 and recognized as terrorist. The organization operates legally in Ukraine and most countries of the world.
According to the case materials, the defendant did not own a weapon, did not plan to commit a terrorist act, and did not call for it. However, Ametkhan Abdulvapov was charged under articles on participation in the activities of a terrorist organization and preparation for the violent seizure of power. The charges were based on the testimony of secret witnesses and an audio recording secretly made in 2015 during a meeting with other Muslims.