PNFA activist arrested in Azerbaijan after social media posts

Activist of the Tovuz district branch of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Elmar Piriev has been arrested for 10 days. Associates indicated that the case against Piriev is politically motivated and related to his opposition activities and social media activity.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", activists of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (PNFA) are regularly subjected to administrative arrests. For instance, in June, activist Anar Guseynov was arrested for 30 days under the article on disobedience to police. On July 22, Kenan Ismail was arrested for the same period .

Activist of the Tovuz district branch of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (PNFA) Elmar Piriev has not been in contact since July 27, said the head of the party's organizational department, Sagif Gurbanov.

"Elmar reported that on July 27 at 15:00 he was summoned to the Tovuz district police department. After he went to the police, there was no information about him. His relatives were also not provided with any information," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

On July 31, the activist's relatives learned that Piriev had been administratively arrested for 10 days. It remains unknown what offense he was charged with. "It is obvious that the case is fabricated and the true reason for the arrest is Piriev's activity on social media and his opposition activities. In the Tovuz district, he has previously been subjected to administrative arrests for political reasons," noted Sagif Gurbanov.

He emphasized that Piriev has become the second PNFA activist to be administratively arrested in the last 10 days, following Kenan Ismail.

"Caucasian Knot" currently does not have comments from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan and the Tovuz district court.

Recall that in 2025, Azerbaijani authorities intensified repression against the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, culminating in the arrests of Ali Kerimli and his closest associates. By the end of January 2026, 20 PNFA members were in custody on fabricated criminal cases, as representatives of the party believe.