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Jamil Hasanli – head of the National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan (National Council) – answered to the Azerbaijani authorities’ attempts to accuse Ali Kerimli – the leader of the Popular Front Party (APFP) – of having links with the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen accused by official Ankara of organizing the putsch in Turkey, Turan news agency reports.

According to the information, Jamil Hasanli wrote on his Facebook page that it is an old plan of the Azerbaijani authorities to accuse the National Council, APFP, and Ali Kerimli of religious radicalism.

He reminded particularly that during a rally of the National Council, one of the former employees of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) raised the flag of the terroristic organization Islamic State. At that time, the authorities wanted to photograph it and show Europe that the National Council patronized the terroristic organization. “However, the raised flag turned everything against themselves. Eventually, MNS became the victim. Then, the ‘Islamists’ controlled by the authorities were planned to be mobilized during the National Council’s meetings; however, it was also revealed,” Hasanli informed.

Moreover, the head of the National Council highlighted that it is not a secret that the special operation carried out in the Shia settlement Nardaran last November was organized against Ali Kerimli and himself. During the investigation on Nardaran events, Taleh Bagirzade, the Muslim Unity leader, faced severe tortures. They wanted to make him testify against Hasanli and Kerimli who allegedly planned a coup.

However, the regime’s plan was exposed during the trial against the members of the movement headed by Bagirzade. “Now, the discouraged authorities connect their hopes regarding Ali Kerimli with Gulen’s adventure,” he writes.

According to him, if earlier, the well-known Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev – the authorities’ main voice of slander – accused Kerimli of attempting to create a Shia state, now, he has started to present him as the main coordinator of Gulen’s network in Azerbaijan and “a gulenist.” “It seems like Gulen’s network was introduced in Azerbaijan not by the authorities, but by Kerimli, and that the official permission to open gulenist schools was given by him, and not by the governmental structures. It seems like the gulenist movement in the country was favored by APFP, and not by the administration of the president. And the US congressmen were brought to Azerbaijan by Ali Kerimli, and not by SOCAR (the State Oil Company) with Gulen’s support” the politician continues.

He also reminded that during the presidential elections, the Azerbaijani TV channel Xazar – the main “gulenist” propagandistic voice – conducted a more aggressive struggle against the National Council and APFP than the state TV channel AzTV. This is because the instruction was given by the officials of the president’s administration who were coordinating Gulen’s network in Azerbaijan. Hasanli is sure that all the people, who have used Gulen’s network for foreign lobbying as well as for internal politics up to now, are currently against Kerimli. According to the politician, Eynulla Fatullayev “circulates his own opuses” through the news agency Interfax controlled by Russia as well as through various “muddy structures” in Turkey.

“How can one understand the Azerbaijani officials who were silent within 15 hours after the Turkish putsch waiting for the results? At the peak of the dramatic events, Ali Kerimli was single-handedly against the coup openly standing by the side of the officially-elected Turkish authorities on behalf of the nation,” Hasanli highlights.

Therefore, Kerimli was the first politician to speak out in the most important moment of July 15 coup with a clear position. “Now, no matter how absurd it is, those, who openly or secretly collaborated with Gulen’s network, have made Ali Kerimli a target,” he notes.

In his opinion, after the failed attempt to involve Kerimli in the “Nardaran case,” the authorities began to “spin” a new criminal network against him fabricating a new false charge.

Meanwhile, BBC writes that apart from a series of arrests of opposition members, the Azerbaijani authorities also launched a criminal case against the supporters of the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. 

The agency highlights that many people in Azerbaijan consider the latest arrests another attempt of the authorities to crackdown the civil society ahead of the September referendum.

Some people also believe that the recent events may have a Turkish trace connected with the relationship between the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Meanwhile, Turan’s analytical press service writes that the “hunt” of the supporters of the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen accused by Ankara of the coup attempt and of creating a “parallel state” is being projected on Azerbaijan.

According to the information, right after the failed coup, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan reproached the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev for the branching of “Gulen’s network” in Azerbaijan.

The response was not long in coming, and the first victim of Ankara’s signal was the Azerbaijani private TV company ANS, which was accused of terrorism propaganda. The interview with Gulen on the eve of the putsch was the reason.

Therefore, Baku tries to dissociate itself from Gulen’s supporters in Azerbaijan, and a statement appeared about launching a criminal case against gulenists.

It was noted that the Azerbaijani opposition represented by the National Front leader Ali Kerimli is the cell of gulenists. However, there have not been any official claims towards the oppositionist so far apart from questionable information leaks.

According to the material, the Azerbaijani authorities did not say anything about Gulen’s supporters in the opposition in the past. Neither did they appear in the lists introduced by Erdogan to Aliyev.

Kerimli himself proves the inconsistency of the accusations through his immediate support to the democratically-elected Turkish government showing the 15-hour silence of Aliyev who was watching the situation from his residence on the day of the putsch.

It is highlighted in the article that it would be naïve to think that the Azerbaijani regime had no links with Gulen. Under any circumstances and any balance of powers, Aliyev had to work in the frameworks of the “Realpolitik” concept with any Turkish government.

Earlier, the work of the independent ANS TV channel was suspended in Azerbaijan for preventing the broadcasting of the interview with the US-based Turkish opposition preacher Fethullah Gulen. The interview of ANS with Gulen was described as “propaganda of terrorism.”

On the night of July 16, a coup attempt was organized in Turkey. The main clashes were in Ankara and Istanbul. The authorities of the country stated that the putsch had been quelled. According to the latest information, 190 Turkish citizens died, more than 100 rebels were killed, and over 1,5 thousands of people were injured during the clashes.

Ankara accused the US-based Turkish writer, former imam and preacher FethullahGulen of organizing the putsch. Turkish president Recep Erdogan called on the US president Barack Obama to extradite him to Ankara. Gulen denied his involvement in the coup attempt and even stated that the rebellion could have been staged by the government of the country.

FethullahGulen is the leader of the religious-philosophical sectNur. He also owns large industrial and financial companies and holdings worldwide. Gülen owns a large network of schools and educational institutions. In 1998, Gulenwas accused of attempting to overthrow the existing regime in secular Turkey. At the same time avoiding the punishment, he immigrated to the United States. When the AKP came to power all charges against him were dropped. Turkish Prime Minister R. T. Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party are accused of having ties to Gulen. According to various estimates, about five million people in Turkey and abroad (particularly in Azerbaijan and Central Asia) are involved in the Gülen movement.

In 2014, official circles in Turkey have provided the Azerbaijani government a list of high-ranking officials of Azerbaijan in the administration of President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani government, which include or are related with such religious direction, as Nursizm. The list of officials recruited by the sect of Fethullah Gulen include, the head of Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov, SOCAR vice president Khalig Mammadov, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Elshad Isgandarov, his deputy Gunduz Ismailov, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Intigam Babayev, MP Jeyhun Osmanli, CSR Director under the Presidential Administration Farhad Mammadov, Chairman of the Youth Foundation Farhad Hajiyev.