The social upheavals in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries of the Middle East have caused a risk of social and political instability also in post-Soviet countries, which are ruled by authoritarian regimes. In Muslim countries of the post-Soviet space, in particular in Azerbaijan, the unrest in the Maghreb region has encouraged Islamic groups supported by Iran to call for protests against the government, voicing complaints about corruption and strategic ties with the U.S. and Israel.
On February 14, local media reported that that the embassies of the U.S. and Israel in Baku had suspended their activities because of a potential threat. The alert, disseminated by the U.S. Embassy on January 29, was warning Americans of a “potential for attacks in Azerbaijan, including against American interests”. It said the warning was “based on terrorist threat information” and added that that U.S. citizens in this Muslim-majority country “should remain vigilant, particularly in public places associated with the Western community”. The alert did not elaborate on the nature of the threat or who might be behind it. The spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy, Keith Bean, said that the Embassy worked in a “normal” manner, but that “we deem the threats to be credible” without going into details about the source of the threat. “We work with the relevant institutions of the Government of Azerbaijan to ensure that the U.S. Embassy has the appropriate level of security”, Bean stated.
Following the U.S. alert, similar warnings have been issued by the diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom and Israel in Baku. The alerts were distributed following the arrest of several members of the unregistered Islamic Party of Azerbaijan (AIP) along with their leader, Movsum Samadov. The Islamic Party ultimately seeks the end of Azerbaijan as a secular state, and its members publicly share the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The party's main aim is to create an Iran-type state in Azerbaijan.
Political analysts believe the arrests were prompted by a speech that Samadov made on January 2. In remarks widely circulated on YouTube, Samadov compared President Ilham Aliyev with one of the most hated figures in Shia history and called for the overthrow of Aliyev’s government. “Ilham Aliyev has made an idol of his father and forces people to worship him..., thousands of people are behind bars. Where is Azerbaijan going to? If this continues, then the tragedy of 1937 (Stalin’s repressions) will be repeated ... Speak out, we should speak about the truth openly”, Samadov stated.
Referring to an article in the Washington Post, Samadov accused the President and officials around him of “plundering billions of national wealth” to buy property abroad. The article from last year alleged that President Aliyev’s family owns property worth millions of dollars in Dubai. The Chairman of the Islamic party also compared Aliyev with Yazid ibn Muawiya, whose forces killed the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Huseyn and caused the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The AIP was established in 1991 and officially registered one year later. However, the party's registration was annulled in 1995 and it has not been re-registered. Samadov has studied in Iran's main Shia clerical centre, Qom, and became head of the Islamic Party in 2007.
Samadov also strongly criticized a ban on girls wearing headscarves to school and a closedown of mosques in past years. Last year, the Ministry of Education officially banned the use of hijab for school girls by new rules defining what kind of uniforms pupils should wear in this mainly Shia Muslim country. The ban caused public protests numbering about a thousand Muslims in front of the Ministry in Baku and much smaller protests in a few other towns.
“In a time when your religion is under threat, give your life for the faith” Samadov said, referring to the Prophet Muhammad. “... the Azerbaijani people must rise up ... If anyone sticks his hands into our religion and morality, then we will thrust our hands in our world. The Azerbaijani people must put an end to such a cruel regime and its head”. Attendees at the meeting chanted slogans such as “Allahu Akbar!”. At the end of the speech, Samadov said that “the current authority is fully in the hands of Jews and they lead Azerbaijan where they want”.
Samadov has been sentenced to three months in pretrial detention on charges of illegal arms possession, inciting terror, and seeking to change the constitutional system. He was initially detained along with several members of his party on January 7 and was held for 13 days, allegedly for resisting police. Media reported about the additional detention of up to 30 Muslim activists, including Samadov’s relatives.
Arif Babayev, the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry, did not rule out the presense of a terrorist threat in the country. However, he assured that the situation is under control and that necessary preventive measures against possible threats to national security and the country’s interests have been taken.
Human rights defenders considered the detained Islamists as political prisoners. “These people are not terrorists. They were arrested because of Movsum Samadov's furious comments against the current authority. The authorities want to intimidate opposition minded people who are critical of their actions” said Zardusht Alizade, a politician known for his ties with Iran.