Movement chair arrested over cooperation with Armenian secret service

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Aug 5 2005

Baku, August 4, AssA-Irada – Head of a youth movement has been arrested
on charges of attempting to forcefully seize power with the aid of
the Armenian secret service. The apprehension follows a testimony of
a member of the organization, who appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office
on Wednesday.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, representative of the Yeni Fikir
(New Thought) movement Osman Alimuradov testified that on July 28-29,
he traveled to Tbilisi together with the movement chairman Ruslan
Bashirli, on an instruction of the major opposition Popular Front
Party (PFPA) chairman Ali Karimli. While in the Georgian capital, they
met with Merabi Jibutia, who presented himself as a representative
of Georgian ‘democratic forces’, as well as two other individuals,
Georgi Ispirian and a man named Vardan. “However, these individuals
actually represent Armenian secret service”, the Prosecutor’s Office
report said. These persons drew the movement representatives to
secret cooperation.

Alimuradov submitted a video tape and a receipt proving that Bashirli
received money from these individuals.

The investigation showed that in late June-early July, Georgian
citizen Jibutia visited Baku and met with the Yeni Fikir chairman
Bashirli. Bashirli then introduced him to the PFPA chairman Karimli,
which was followed by an hour-long face-to-face conversation.

Bashirli and Alimuradov met with Georgi Ispirian and Jibutia at a
private apartment in Tbilisi on July 29. Bashirli then said that the
‘forces’ he represents act on an instruction of the US National
Democratic Institute. He said that they have received ‘specific
instructions’ from NDI representatives to stage a ‘revolution’
in Azerbaijan. He said that NDI representatives arranged training
sessions for PFPA deputy chair Fuad Mustafayev and the Yeni Fikir
movement coordinator Nuriyev, in Poland.

Ispirian, in turn, said that the ‘democratic forces’ headed by
PFPA chair Karimli and Bashirli should try to stage a revolution
in Azerbaijan. Ispirian also promised that Armenian and Georgian
‘democratic forces’ would provide all kinds of assistance, including
sufficient funds. He said that if necessary, fear and confusion would
be provoked among the population and ceasefire may be breached for
a short period of time to ‘show the incompetence of the authorities’.

Ispirian also said during the meeting that he is capable of staging
shooting at one of the opposition rallies in Azerbaijan in order to
breach stability in the country.

After an agreement was reached to jointly struggle against Azerbaijani
authorities, Ispirian gave $2,000 to Bashirli and received a receipt
for the money. Besides, he promised Bashirli to give him another
$20,000 in a few days. The plotters then agreed that Bashirli will
receive $2,000 every month.

However, Alimuradov turned down the proposal to cooperate. He said
that the afore-mentioned man named Vardan told him that they represent
Armenian secret service and have video-taped the meeting with a hidden
camera. Vardan threatened Alimuradov that if collaboration is declined,
the mentioned video-tapes would be aired on TV channels. He also gave
a copy of the tape to Alimuradov.

The Azerbaijani law enforcement have arrested Bashirli and started a
criminal case against him on charges of ‘forceful capture of power’
and ‘forceful overthrow of the constitutional system’.*