Religious activist detained again 20 days after release following 7-year imprisonment
Published: 29 October 2024 16:29
Ahsan Nuruzadeh, a member of the Muslim Union Movement, has been detained again just 20 days after his release following a seven-year prison sentence.
According to information provided to Meydan TV by the Muslim Union Movement, Nuruzadeh was taken into custody in front of his daughter on October 26. Relatives reported they were not informed of the reasons for his detention or his current location.
Nuruzadeh’s family confirmed his detention to Meydan TV, stating that he had been apprehended while meeting his daughter as she returned from school. According to witnesses, “four plainclothes individuals forcibly detained him, with his daughter witnessing the entire incident.” Family members expressed frustration and pain over the ordeal, recalling that his children had already endured years without their father. During his imprisonment, his wife passed away following a cancer diagnosis, leaving the children in the care of an elderly grandmother.
Nuruzadeh’s mother, Zeynab Huseynova, has appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ 102 service to learn the whereabouts of her son and understand the reasons behind his detention. Additionally, the family has reached out to the Office of the Ombudsman. So far, these efforts have not yielded any information, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not responded to requests for comment.
Nuruzadeh was originally detained on October 6, 2017, on drug-related charges and sentenced to seven years by the Baku Court of Serious Crimes. He consistently maintained his innocence, alleging that the charges were politically motivated due to his support for Taleh Baghirzadeh, leader of the Muslim Union Movement. Previously, Nuruzadeh had faced brief detentions, each time charged with “disobeying police orders.”
Reports indicate that more than 70 members of the Muslim Union, including Baghirzadeh, remain incarcerated in Azerbaijan. They claim that the charges against them are politically driven and part of a broader crackdown on religious and political dissidents.