Imprisoned leader of ReAL (Republican Alternative) movement Ilgar Mammadov has declared that the government of Azerbaijan is trying to make his release conditional upon the acceptance of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) as part of the European People’s Party (EPP).
He has called on the European Parliament not to make such a deal.
In his statement, Mammadov notes that the YAP has already long been trying to gain entry to the largest and most authoritative political organization in Europe: the EPP.
“If the YAP will be accepted into the EPP, this dynastic government will receive even greater benefit from membership in the Council of Europe. I received information from several members of the EPP that these people, who have ignored ten resolutions from the Committee of Ministers on the necessity of fulfilling the verdicts of the European Court, can be accepted into the EPP on the condition that I am released. But I would recommend that the EPP not besmirch its reputation. This is an unjust deal. Governments should not extract benefits for releasing presidential candidates and other political prisoners from jail”, declared Mammadov.
Ilgar Mammadov was arrested on February 4, 2013, in connection with the Ismailli riots on January 23-24. At first Mammadov was charged in accordance with Article 233 (Organization of actions leading to the breach of public order) and 315.2 (Resisting the police using health- and life-threatening force) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic. Later, Article 233 was switched out for a more serious charge, in accordance with Article 220.1 (Organization of mass unrest accompanied by arson and pogroms) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On March 17, 2014, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The European People’s Party (EPP) is a right-center, all-European political party, which was founded in 1976. It includes the Christian-Democratic and Conservative parties of European countries. The party also includes 73 collective members and national parties from 39 countries.
The EPP also includes sixteen heads of state of member states of the European Union, and six heads of state of countries that are not part of the European Union.
