An opposition party leader fatally shot in Azerbaijan

AP Online;
Jun 14, 2004

An opposition party leader, who was known for his bold military
exploits in the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, was fatally
shot early Monday in Azerbaijan’s capital, police said.

Fatulla Huseynov’s body was found by his neighbors outside his Baku
home, said Yashar Aliyev of the city police. Neighbors reported
hearing between four and six gunshots minutes earlier.

Aliyev said police did not yet have a motive or suspect.

Huseynov, 67, was one of the leaders of Azerbaijan’s opposition
Justice party. He also served as the vice president of Association
of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. He had previously worked in
Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry and headed the nation’s road police.

In 1992-93, Huseynov fought in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian
enclave in Azerbaijan, where he earned the nickname the “black colonel”
for his unit’s military feats.

Azerbaijani forces were driven out of Nagorno-Karabakh, and a
cease-fire was signed in May 1994. But Nagorno-Karabakh’s final
status has not been resolved and firing sporadically breaks across the
“line of control” demilitarized zone that separates Azerbaijani and
Armenian forces.