Azerbaijani activist Vidadi Iskenderov attacked in France

Azerbaijani political migrant Vidadi Iskenderov was attacked in the French city of Mulhouse. The activist was stabbed. Vidadi Iskenderov believes that the incident took place with the support of the Azerbaijan’s authorities.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Vidadi Iskenderov, the head of the NGO “Assistance to the Defence of Democracy”, participated in opposition rallies in Baku on April 2 and 17, 2011. The activist was accused of interfering in the voting in the 2010 parliamentary elections, in which he ran for a seat in the Azerbaijani parliament. A court sentenced Vidadi Iskenderov to three years of imprisonment, and human rights defenders recognized him as a political prisoner. On December 26, 2012, Vidadi Iskenderov was released early, was granted asylum in Georgia, and then moved to France.

Vidadi Iskenderov wrote on his page in Facebook* that the attack on him could be supported by the Azerbaijan’s authorities, taking revenge on him for his criticism.

Ganimat Zakhid, the editor-in-chief of the “Azadlig” newspaper and the head of the “Turan” TV satellite channel, added that the attackers also used firearms. Ganimat Zakhid associated the attack on Vidadi Iskenderov with the activist’s criticism of the Azerbaijan's authorities.

“Recently, a hunt has been organized for Azerbaijani activists in Europe ... On June 12, the French police detained killers who were preparing an attempt on the life of blogger Mohammed Mirzali,” Ganimat Zakhid said.

*On March 21, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.