Opposition activist was held at Azerbaijan Department for Straggle Against Organized Crime

Talyat Aliyev, an activist of the opposition Democratic Party of Azerbaijan who disappeared ten days ago, had been held all these days at the Department for Struggle Against Organized Crime of the Azerbaijan Interior Ministry (UBOP). According to the oppositionist, it had been done to prevent him from taking part in a rally scheduled by his party for September 6.

Shakhin Nadzhafov, the party?s press secretary, told a press conference on September 15 that Aliyev had been kidnapped on September 5. For four days neither his family nor party colleagues had received any news about him though the law requires that a detainee should be given an opportunity to notify his family about his whereabouts. Aliyev told correspondent that on the evening of September 5 two men in plain clothes had forced him into a car and brought to the UBOP. In his words, UBOP officials subjected him to psychological pressure seeking confirmation that his party was allegedly planning to use weapons during street demonstrations. ?In fact, they tortured me trying to exert confessions against the opposition. But I refused,? stated Aliyev. The Narimanovsky District Court, where he was delivered then, ordered to keep Aliyev under arrest for seven days for obstructing law enforcement officials. The oppositionist told correspondent he feared provocation from the direction of UBOP officials.

On October 15 Azerbaijan will go into presidential elections. Earlier the Central Election Commission refused to register the leader of the Democratic Party Rasul Guliyev as a candidate for presidency. Since then Guliyev?s supporters have been regularly holding unauthorized protest actions in Baku demanding the registration of his candidacy. As a rule, the police disperse their demonstrations.