The disappearance of the opposition member in Baku has worried his associates.

The chairman of the district branch of the People's Front Party, Elnur Yusubov, disappeared in Baku after leaving home for work. Party members suggested that Yusubov was detained by security forces.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in 2025, Azerbaijani authorities intensified repression against the People's Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). The culmination of these processes was the arrest of the party leader Ali Kerimli and his associates, the party stated.

Since the morning of November 12, the whereabouts of Elnur Yusubov, chairman of the Sabunchu district branch of the PFPA, have been unknown, Meydan TV reported on its website the same day.

According to the PFPA, Elnur Yusubov left home early in the morning heading to work, and since then, it has not been possible to contact him. The party reported that Yusubov did not reach his workplace, and his car was found near his home.

The car door was left open, and the key was inside.

"The car door was left open, and the key was inside. It is assumed that he left the car unlocked so that other family members, who take the children to school and pick them up, could use it," the publication quoted an unnamed PFPA representative.

Party members suspect that Yusubov was detained; however, there is no official confirmation of this version. The publication reported that it was not possible to obtain a comment from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other relevant state structures.

Dozens of PFPA members have faced criminal prosecution

The PFPA is the successor to the People's Front movement, which was created in 1989 to fight for Azerbaijan's independence and transformed into a party in 1995. In 2000, Ali Kerimli became the chairman of the PFPA, who served as the Secretary of State of Azerbaijan in 1993 and was elected to parliament in 1995 and 2000 on the PFPA list. In 2015, Kerimli was re-elected as chairman of the PFPA.

12:48 28.02.2026

The detention of an opposition member in Ganja became an episode of the persecution of PFPA members

Security forces in Ganja detained a member of the Azerbaijan People's Front Party, Rafik Guseyn. Party members considered this a political persecution.

The PFPA has become a target for the Azerbaijani authorities due to its consistent struggle against the strengthening of authoritarianism and corruption in the country. At the same time, there is no other party in Azerbaijan that has also been "permanently subjected to pressure, persecution, and repression" over the past 20 years, said the chairman of the opposition National Council of Democratic Forces (NSDS), Jamil Hasanli, earlier to the "Caucasian Knot".

By the end of January 2026, 20 party members were in custody "on false criminal charges," said the head of the PFPA press service, Natig Adilov. "Arrests of party members on administrative charges continue permanently," he noted.

In 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan exceeded 300 for the first time since the early 2000s. The Union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan" published a new national list of political prisoners on October 6, 2026, including 322 names.

The largest increase in prisoners occurred in 2024-2025, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Main points about the record number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan". At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.