Azerbaijani opposition leader named suspect after interrogation
Ali Karimli, chairman of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, and his adviser, Mammad Ibrahim, have become suspects in the criminal case against former head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, who is accused of attempting a coup d'état and treason.
Prior to this, State Security Service (SSS) officers conducted a search of the residence of Karimli and Ibrahim, after which they were brought in for questioning. During the search, materials were reportedly discovered indicating their connection to Mehdiyev.
The previously arrested former head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration is accused of attempting to seize power and treason. According to investigators, 87-year-old Mehdiyev, taking advantage of the tense relations between Baku and Moscow, prepared a plan for a coup d'état and proposed it to the Russian side through his own channels. The plan called for the creation of a temporary body – the State Council for the Transitional Period – which the politician was to personally lead. Mehdiyev also allegedly passed on to Russia information about future members of the State Council under his leadership. Information about Mehdiyev's plan and his network was conveyed to Azerbaijan by Russia during a meeting between the two countries' presidents in Dushanbe.
