Tazakhan Miralimli Detained, Home Searched by State Security Service

Tazakhan Miralimli

Tazakhan Miralimli, the Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), was detained and his home was searched by the State Security Service (DTX), according to reports from the party.

Natiq Adilov, the head of the party's press service, confirmed the information, stating that DTX employees confiscated Miralimli's computer and mobile phone following the search.

Miralimli was reportedly apprehended while on his way to the appeal hearing for AXCP Chairman Ali Karimli and was subsequently taken to the DTX office.

The detention of Miralimli comes amid a broader crackdown. The appeal hearing for Ali Karimli, which took place on December 5, saw the detention of over 20 attending activists. This group included Saqif Gurbanov, Head of the AXCP Organizational Department, and Ramid Nagiyev, Chairman of the party's Binaqadi branch.

Background on AXCP Chairman's Case

AXCP Chairman Ali Karimli was initially detained on November 29. On December 1, he was formally charged under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to actions aimed at violently seizing power or forcibly changing the constitutional structure of the state. The Sabail District Court ordered his pre-trial detention for a period of 2 months and 15 days on the same day.

Pro-government media sources have linked Karimli's detention to the ongoing investigation concerning Ramiz Mehdiyev.

Miralimli’s Previous Legal Issues

Tazakhan Miralimli has faced multiple detentions and administrative arrests in the past. In 2020, he was convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to a one-year restriction of liberty for physically assaulting Ata Abdullayev, a pro-government blogger known for using derogatory language against opposition figures on social media.