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Eynulla Fatullayev, an Azerbaijani journalist and editor-in-chief of the news websites Haqqin.az and Virtualaz.org, was detained in Calais, France by the local police, according to the Azerbaijani newspaper Azadlig.

The incident reportedly took place when the Haqqin.az camera crew, led by Fatullayev, was at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel working on a story about the refugees, who try to get to the UK through the channel. Ali Sultanov, the cameraman, and Idris Heydarov, the director, were detained with Eynulla Fatullayev. After some time, the police released them all.

According to Azadlig, Fatullayev’s detention may be connected with the activities carried out in France by European Information Human Rights Center, an organization supervised by the Azerbaijani authorities. The organization, chaired by Fatullayev, had earlier got under the surveillance of the French police. The law enforcement agencies of France had searched the organization’s executive director Musatafa Alinca’s house and office.

Mustafa Alinca told Azadlig that he was scared when the police were conducting the searches. “They seemed to look for something I was not aware of. There were nine of them in the detectives’ group. They also brought two dogs,” he said.

According to the newspaper, the French police discovered a “track of dirty money” in the activities of the organization. “Alinca’s story creates an impression that the search could also be connected with possible spying activities,” the newspaper alleges.

The organization, calling itself European Information Human Rights Center, is chaired by Garri Mourei, a French citizen of German origin, currently residing in Strasbourg, Azadlig informs. 

“I was told that some German companies would allocate grants for the activities of the organization. Later the money was suspected to be transferred from Azerbaijan,” Alinca said.

Azadlig points out Garri Mourai’s close ties with the Azerbaijani authorities. His congratulatory letter, sent to Ilham Aliyev, was published on the official website of the country’s president. 

Back in 2014, it was revealed that Eynulla Fatullayev, a former “political prisoner,” teamed with the odious leader of left-anarchist movement "Occupy Frankfurt," Thomas Pilz, to establish the European Information Human Rights Center in Strasbourg in May 2013. Garri Mourei, a human rights defender from Germany, and a few agents of influence from Turkey were also involved. Still, before the official registration in Strasbourg, the organization had received a grant of approximately 100,000 Euros in April 2013 with the support of Fatullayev's Baku patrons and under his direct supervision in accord with the scheme of the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Under the supervision of Ali Hasanov – the head of Department of Social Political Issues of the President Administration – the members of this organization were assigned to find and replicate real or imaginary evidences of human rights abuses in the European countries. They were further ordered to compile dossiers (compromising materials) about leading the European politicians (from Sweden, Germany, Norway, Denmark and other) who criticized the Azerbaijan policy, and transfer them to Baku. The initiator of this “endeavor”, as well as the coordinator for financial flows, was the director of programs of the Baku office of the Soros Foundation, Rovshan Bagirov, a person well known in narrow circles.

Ilham Aliyev’s administration also sponsored anti-Russian and anti-Semite rallies in Strasbourg and is financing the well-known Azerbaijani “opposition” website registered under Fatullayev’s name.

Related:
Failed “activitism” of the last dictator, or how Eynulla Fatullayev stole money from Ilham Aliyev
Eynulla Fatullayev, Ilham Aliyev and their “human rights defending” activities in Europe