The arrest of an opposition figure in Ganja was part of the persecution of PFPA members.

Security forces in Ganja detained Rafig Huseyn, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. Fellow party members considered this political persecution.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by the end of January, 20 members of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan were in custody "on false criminal charges," stated the head of the party's press service, Natig Adilov. "Arrests of party members on administrative charges continue on an ongoing basis," he noted.

Rafig Huseyn (Huseynguliyev), a member of the Ganja branch of the PFPA, was detained on February 27 near his home, Jeyhun Novruzov, head of the Sabail district branch of the PFPA, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

Activists in Ganja were unable to locate him throughout the day. Rafig

According to him, the activist was detained by operatives from the city's Main Police Department. "Rafig Huseyn was held at the police headquarters for about two hours. They demanded his cell phone, promising to release him after examining the device. However, after this, Rafig Huseyn was taken to an unknown location. Activists in Ganja were unable to locate Rafig Huseyn throughout the day. “It was only in the evening that it became known that Huseyn was being held in a police station and would appear in court,” Novruzov said.

He linked Huseyn’s detention to his opposition activities, his social media presence, and described it as “a continuation of the repression against the Popular Front Party.”

The head of the Ganja branch of the Popular Front Party, Bakhtiyar Yusubov, is also convinced that the opposition leader’s detention is connected to his political views.

“Rafig Huseyn is a father of six children, a veteran of the Karabakh war, he suffers from cardiovascular disease, and despite all this, he was detained,” Yusubov told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

A representative of the PFPA press service suggested that Huseyn would be subjected to administrative arrest for some reason. "trumped-up charges." He noted that over the past month, four party activists have been arrested on administrative charges, while more than 20 PFPA members are being held in prison on fabricated criminal charges.

As a reminder, in November 2025, Azerbaijan's State Security Service detained Ali Karimli and his advisor, Mammad Ibrahim. Both opposition figures were arrested and charged under Article 278.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. They denied the charges, and Karimli called his criminal case political persecution. On February 12, the State Security Service announced the uncovering of a conspiracy against the country's authorities. Among the defendants in the case were former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Ali Karimli.

The Popular Front Party became a target of the Azerbaijani authorities due to its consistent fight against the rise of authoritarianism and corruption in the country. At the same time, in Azerbaijan there is no other party that has also been "permanently subjected to pressure, persecution, and repression" over the past 20 years, Jamil Hasanli, chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces, told the Caucasian Knot in December 2025.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in 2024 in the country's 23 years of membership in the Council of Europe, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Key Points about the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the presence of political prisoners in the country.