A court in Baku has ordered pre-trial detention for the leader of Azerbaijan's main opposition Popular Front Party (AXCP), three days after he went missing following a police raid of his apartment.
The Sabail District Court on December 1 remanded Karimli in custody until February 13, 2026, after he was charged with plotting to overthrow President Ilham Aliyev - a crime that carries a potential life sentence, his lawyers report.
Mammad Ibrahim, a member of the party presidium, has also been arrested. Other party officials say their homes have been searched and several colleagues have gone missing.
National Council Chairman Jamil Hasanli said in a post on Facebook that he was summoned for questioning by the State Security Service over an ongoing criminal case against Ramiz Mehdiyev, head of the presidential administration from 1994 to 2019.
Mehdiyev was placed under house arrest in October on various charges, including for an attempt to illegally seize power. The arrests of Karimli and Ibrahim are reportedly tied to that investigation.
The AXCP strongly denies any connection to Mehdiyev, who was a longtime ally of the late President Heydar Aliyev, who led Azerbaijan until shortly before his death in 2003.
"The government understands that they themselves worked with Ramiz Mehdiyev, and this accusation can't be pinned on us," Seymur Hazi, Karimli's deputy, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.
"The purpose of these arrests is clearly to damage Ali Karimli's reputation. Criticizing this government requires risk and bravery -- and society sees those who do it as defenders."
In a statement on November 30, the AXCP condemned what it called a "new large-scale repression campaign launched by the family-based ruling power against national-democratic forces."
Karimli, 60, has been barred from leaving Azerbaijan due to a longstanding refusal by the authorities to issue him an international passport. He also says his Internet connection is completely restricted.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Gultakin Hajibeyli, an Azerbaijani activist and member of the National Council's Coordinating Center, remain unclear after she reported being detained in Istanbul on November 28. Pro-government media have suggested she may be deported to Azerbaijan.
Aliyev's Crackdown On Dissent
Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father in 2003 in oil-rich Azerbaijan, has been widely accused of suppressing dissent, jailing journalists, opposition figures, and civil society activists.
Rights activists outside the country have warned that government moves to curb freedoms are being ignored by the international community, making it easier for officials to clamp down on the opposition.
"Inaction by the international community leads to further repression," said Florian Irminger, president of Progress & Change Partnerships and manager of the Campaign to End Repression in Azerbaijan.
The government insists, however, that fundamental freedoms are respected and that no one faces persecution for their political views.
"The president has strong will, global leadership, and the status of the victorious leader," said Zahid Oruj, a pro-government member of parliament.
Media close to the ruling party have recently floated the idea of suspending AXCP and Musavat, another major opposition party.
