US EditionOpposition leader detained in Azerbaijan’s continuing crackdown on dissent
Ali Karimli and Mammad Ibrahim were detained amid a criminal probe linked to Ramiz Mehdiyev, as Azerbaijan intensifies its crackdown on dissent and political opposition.
- On Saturday, opposition leader Ali Karimli, chairman of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, was detained, and party board member Mammad Ibrahim was also taken into custody with his residence searched.
- Government-Aligned media reported the moves were tied to a probe of Ramiz Mehdiyev, former head of the presidential administration, who was charged in October with treason and money laundering.
- Authorities have issued no official statement about the arrests, while Fuad Gahramanli, adviser to Ali Karimli, wrote on Facebook that Karimli was unreachable and his home searched.
- Human rights organizations say the arrests fit a pattern of intensified repression targeting journalists, activists and independent politicians, while international observers note elections have not been fully free or fair.
- A state parade in Baku on Nov. 8, 2025 framed the wider political backdrop as President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled the nation of around 10 million since 2003, held public events this month.
18 Articles
18 Articles
The leader of the Popular Front was arrested during a raid at his home and will remain in prison until February, accused of attempting to take power by force
Azerbaijan: Arrest of opposition leader is further evidence of consolidation of authoritarian practices
Responding to today’s decision by an Azerbaijani court to remand in custody prominent opposition leader Ali Karimli, following a raid on his home and his arrest by the State Security Service, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “Ali Karimli’s detention is the latest outrage in the ongoing consolidation of authoritarian practices in Azerbaijan. There appear to be no limits to the go…
The state security services carried out a search of his home before questioning him. The head of the Azerbaijan People's Front was one of the last opposition figures not yet incarcerated or exiled.
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