Persecution intensifies ahead of election in Azerbaijan

An opposition candidate has been arrested ahead of the presidential election in Azerbaijan, the website of Amnesty International says.

According to the organization, the Azerbaijani authorities should release two opposition leaders. They were arrested on trumped-up charges as unrest in Ismail began on the eve of their arrival there.

Tofik Yagublu of Musafat Party and Chairman of Real movement, presidential candidate Ilgar Mamedov were arrested for their participation in unrest in the city of Ismail.

A decision was made at a closed trial yesterday that the two men will be held in custody for two months, after which the court will render a final judgment on them.

“The case is politically motivated. Yagublu and Mamedov were detained for inciting a mutiny that started spontaneously, before they even set foot in Ismail,” David Diaz-Jogeix of Amnesty International said.