Former MP Arrested in Azerbaijan: Media Reports

Azerbaijan's court has detained former parliament member Nazim Bademirli for four months, Azerbaijani media outlets report.

He is accused of "extortion through threats" aimed at acquiring "significant assets." The Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that Bademirli blackmailed an anonymous citizen using intimate photographs.

It is alleged that the individual involved transferred part of the extorted funds to Bademirli, who continued to extort the citizen's family, according to the Azerbaijani authority.

At the same time, the country's opposition media suggests that the reason for his arrest may be related to Bademirli's participation in an environmental protest.

"The arrest of former Azerbaijani parliament member Nazim Bademirli on extortion charges is utterly absurd. It is beyond doubt that he has been detained due to his principled stance regarding the disturbances in the village of Soyudlu and specifically for his statements on the legitimacy of the local residents' demands," they write.

The protest in the Soyudlu village of Gadabaa district on June 20 was prompted by the construction of a waste storage facility for chemical cleaning during gold ore extraction at a nearby mine, according to the country’s opposition outlets.

The protest was violently dispersed by security forces, which reportedly used batons, rubber bullets, and tear gas.