Political immigrants complain about persecutions of their relatives in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani activists Tural Sadygly and Ordukhan Temirkhan, living in Europe, have reported detention of their relatives in Azerbaijan. Law enforcers have demanded to influence his son who is criticizing the authorities, said Sadygly's father.

According to Tural Sadygly, a political emigrant living in Germany, who administers the "Free Word" page on the Facebook, his father, Alovsat Sadygly, was detained in Baku on February 18. Today he was set free.

"My son may criticize the government... but he can't be against the state... I participated in the national-democratic movement in late 1980s-early 1990s; and my son was brought up on these ideas," the father has stressed.

Tural Sadygly said that policemen were searching for his brother, Elgiz Sadygly. In February 2015, after a protest action in Berlin, he was arrested "for drug possession."

"Not finding Elgiz, they detained my 65-year-old father and, for unknown reason, our neighbour, who suffers from an oncology disease," said Tural Sadygly, adding that no pressure will stop his activities.

Ordukhan Temirkhan, an activist and a video blogger, who is living in the Netherlands, has also stated pressure on his relatives.

"Over the past two days, they detained three of my nephews – Elnar and Tural Aliev, and Sabukhi Zeinalov," he said.