Azerbaijani opposition leader Rasul Guliev detained in Ukraine

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 18th Oct 2005

Sarah Ludford MEP is demanding the intervention of both the European Commission and the UK as EU Presidency to free from detention in Ukraine, without access to a lawyer, of the Azerbaijani opposition leader Rasul Guliev, following his forced landing in the country. The Ukrainian authorities are apparently acting on the basis of an international warrant issued by Azerbaijan.

Mr Guliev was attempting to fly back to Azerbaijan, after being in exile for almost a decade, in order to partake in the country's parliamentary elections on November 6th. Around two dozen of his supporters were arrested in Baku on Monday. Previous elections in the 12-year hereditary regime of Ilham Aliyev and his father Heydar have been marred by large-scale fraud.

Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford said:

"Azerbaijan expresses the wish for further integration with European Union structures while the Ukraine desires to join the EU. Both countries need to be told in forceful official EU protests that repression is not the way to the heart of Brussels."

"It is particularly disappointing that just as Ukraine's President Victor Yushchenko was in London meeting Tony Blair, being awarded the Chatham House Prize and talking about a future in the EU, his country was playing ball with the Azerbaijani regime's attempts to obstruct free and fair elections."

Notes:

Baroness Sarah Ludford called yesterday for European countries and organisations, and especially the UK Presidency of the European Union to press Azerbaijan to allow Mr Guliev to land and to hold free and fair parliamentary elections on November 6th. For further information please go to: http://www.sarahludfordmep.org.uk/news/550.html

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP successfully campaigned for the release of Rasul Guliev's niece, Almas Guliev, following her wrongful detention earlier this year. For further information please go to:

http://www.sarahludfordmep.org.uk/news/504.html

http://www.sarahludfordmep.org.uk/news/499.html

Rasul Guliev is a major opposition figure in Azerbaijan. He has been living in exile in the United States since the mid 1990's. During the 2003 presidential elections he applied to stand as a candidate, and was rejected by the Central Election Commission.

The Chatham House Prize is awarded to the individual deemed to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year.