Ali Karimli denied the accusation of an attempted coup.

Opposition party leader Ali Karimli denied charges of attempting to overthrow the government in Azerbaijan and called his criminal case political persecution. As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on November 29, following searches, State Security Service officers detained Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), and his advisor, Mammad Ibrahim, a member of the PFPA presidium. On December 1, both opposition figures were remanded in custody for two and a half months, until February 13. Karimli has been charged under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (actions aimed at the violent seizure of power or the violent change of the constitutional order of the state). The Baku Court of Appeals rejected the appeal against Karimli's arrest.

Ali Karimli completely rejected the charges against him and described them as "political repression." For this reason, Ali Karimli refused to testify to the investigation, the Popular Front Party announced late in the evening.

"Ali Karimli remains hale and hearty and committed to the party and his chosen political path," the statement, translated into Russian by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, reads.

The statement does not specify which specific actions of Ali Karimli the investigation considers "aimed at a violent seizure of power."

However, according to Natig Adilov, head of the PFPA press service, "they are attempting to link Ali Karimli to former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev," who was previously accused of "treason" and "planning a coup."

The authorities are using the Mehdiyev case to finally crack down on the political opposition.

"Linking Ali Kerimli and the PFPA to Ramiz Mehdiyev is utter nonsense. Ali Kerimli and our party cannot have any ties to this corrupt official. For 25 years, he was an influential figure in this regime, which we have been consistently fighting. It is even more absurd to claim, as is being written and reported in pro-government media, that Ali Kerimli and Ramiz Mehdiyev were plotting a coup in Russia's interests. The Popular Front Party has always advocated for Azerbaijan's integration into the European Union, and we have consistently fought against Russia's neo-imperial policies, which have never abandoned hopes of ending Azerbaijan's independence and restoring the USSR in some new form. "The authorities are clearly using Mehdiyev's case to finally crack down on the political opposition," Adilov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, adding that the appeal hearing against Mammad Ibrahim's arrest is scheduled for December 8.

Karimli's lawyers were unavailable for comment, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.