Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 15 2005

Another suspect in youth movement chair’s case

Baku, September 14, AssA-Irada

Deputy chairman of the Yeni Fikir youth movement was detained over
the case of Ruslan Bashirli, the movement chair charged with plotting
with Armenian intelligence to stage a coup in Azerbaijan.
The police arrested Ramin Taghiyev for 48 hours as a suspect, said
Ali Karimli, chairman of major opposition Popular Front Party (PFPA),
who is known to maintain close ties with the movement.
Karimli, speaking at a news conference at the PFPA office on
Wednesday, termed the apprehension as the authorities’ `repressions’
against Yeni Fikir. Touching upon the earlier arrests of Bashirli and
another representative of the movement, Karimli said the authorities
are thus trying to `estrange politically-active youth’ from the
forthcoming parliamentary elections. The PFPA chairman did not rule
out that other movement members may be arrested over the next few
days as well.
Karimli said that youth organizations of PFPA plan to start series of
actions shortly in protest against `pressures against Yeni Fikir’.
Those of two other major opposition parties represented in the
Azadlig bloc – Musavat and Azerbaijan Democratic Party – will join
the protests, he said.
`Harsh messages will come shortly for the authorities from the West
over the repressions against differently-minded youth. I have
informed the European Union special envoy on South Caucasus Heikki
Talvitie about the considerable decline of Yeni Fikir deputy chairman
Seyid Nuriyev’s health and the arrest of Ramin Taghiyev. Talvitie has
acutely condemned these steps by the authorities and said that such
attitude toward young people is unacceptable. Europe will voice its
harsh position on these repressions in the coming days.’*