Azerbaijan: police raid as part of coup attempt investigation

Police in Azerbaijan on Saturday searched the home of Ali Karimli, the leader of one of the country's main opposition parties, as part of a widening investigation into an alleged coup attempt to oust President Ilham Aliyev.

An Azeri government source told Reuters that the raid on the home of Karimli, who has led the Azerbaijan People's Front Party (APFP) since 2000, was linked to the ongoing criminal case against Ramiz Mehdiyev, a long-time ally of former President Heydar Aliyev who led Azerbaijan until his death in 2003.

According to Reuters, authorities believe Karimli was funded by Mehdiyev, who joined Heydar Aliyev's government in 1994 as head of the presidential administration during his first years in office.

Ilham Aliyev, Heydar Aliyev's son, dismissed Mehdiyev in 2019 in what was seen at the time as an effort to get rid of officials appointed by his father.

Last month, a court in Baku imposed a four-month house arrest on the 87-year-old Mehdiyev after charging him with crimes including attempted power grab.

(reuters, hal)