Azerbaijani activist arrested after being deported from Germany

Pyunkhan Kerimli, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, who was deported to Azerbaijan from Germany in November 2021, has been placed in custody on the charge of drug trafficking. Pyunkhan Kerimli is being persecuted for political reasons, his father believes.

People in civilian clothes detained Pyunkhan Kerimli, a 32-year-old member of the Khatai branch of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), his father Vakhid Kerimov informed the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent on February 3.

According to the father, on the morning of January 25, Pyunkhan Kerimli was detained in the street, near the Narimanov metro station in Baku. Vakhid Kerimov notes that the parents did not learn until on January 30 that the activist was charged with a criminal offense.

“For several days, we did not have any information at all about the fate of Pyunkhan. Only five days later, on January 30, Pyunkhan called us and said that he was being kept at the Shuvalan SIZO (Baku pre-trial prison-3) and accused of involvement in drug-related activities. Pyunkhan added that he was arrested by a court’s decision. My son said that the accusation was falsified,” the father of Pyunkhan Kerimli said.

He believes that his son was arrested for political reasons. “The arrest of my son is a political order. My son was arrested in connection with his political activities, his participation in Germany in protests against the Azerbaijan’s authorities. He is being avenged for that,” Vakhid Kerimov suggested.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 3, 2022 at 02:20 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.