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Alikram Hummatov

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Alikram Hummatov
Hummatov in 2009
Born(1948-10-28)28 October 1948
Lerik, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR
Died (aged 74)
NationalityAzerbaijani
Known forLeader of self-declared Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic

Alikram Hummatov or Ali Akram Hummatzade (also spelled as Alakram Hummatov, 28 October 1948 – 22 December 2022) was an Azerbaijani Talysh military commander and political activist. He was the president of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic in 1993 and was imprisoned in Azerbaijan. He was considered as a political prisoner by international organizations including Amnesty International and the Council of Europe.[1][2][3] After demands from the Council of Europe, Hummatov was granted retrials, yet according to Human Rights Watch report, the authorities conducted him[clarification needed] inside prisons, and with procedural violations.[3][dead link‍] He was pardoned in 2004 and stripped of his Azerbaijani citizenship; he lived in exile in the Netherlands.

Biography

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Hummatov was born in 1948. He graduated from the Baku Polytechnical Institute, then worked in the automotive industry. In 1975, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[4] He served in different political parties, including the Popular Front of Azerbaijan. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Hummatov was the leader of the self-declared Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic which existed briefly in the south of Azerbaijan at a time of political instability in 1993, and was "seen by many Azeris as a dangerous separatist."[5]

Imprisonment

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In 1995 Hummatov was sentenced to death by an Azerbaijani court, later commuted to life imprisonment, on a range of charges including treason.[5] In an open letter to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Sidiki Kaba, the president of the International Federation of Human Rights, wrote that Hummatov and Qaziyez "are being held in Qobustan prison. Their prison system is very strict and sentences them to isolation. In fact, under the pretext of protecting their physical integrity, these two prisoners have been locked up alone, in closed cells at night, which prevents them from receiving medical assistance throughout the night in the case a problem should arise."[6] In prison Hummatov fell ill with tuberculosis and lost almost all of his teeth.[7] He was among those identified in 2001 by the Council of Europe as political prisoners who should either be released or retried.[1] In 2004 Hummatov was pardoned by President Aliyev, stripped of his Azerbaijani citizenship, and sent to the Netherlands where his family lived.[8]

Hummatov vs. Azerbaijan case at the European Court

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After emigrating to the Netherlands, Hummatov made two applications against the Republic of Azerbaijan to the European Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. On 29 November 2007 the court sentenced the state of Azerbaijan to pay the applicant 12,000 EUR for non-pecuniary damages and 2,090 EUR for costs and expenses.[9]

Later activities

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Hummatov continued to campaign in exile for the rights of the Talysh people. In September 2013, he visited the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, two decades after confronting Karabakh and Armenian forces on the battlefield. He met with university students in Stepanakert, where he criticized the current Azerbaijani government and called for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stating "I believe that we must do everything to establish peace in the region so that our beloved children live, create and study in peaceful conditions."[10] Hummatov traveled to Karabakh from Armenia, where he inaugurated a graduate program of Talysh studies at the Yerevan State University on 24 September 2013.[10]

Personal life

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Hummatov was married to Sudaba Rasulova; they had two sons. According to Rasulova, neither she nor her children know the Talysh language, and speak only Azerbaijani at home.[11] Rasulova stated that she was unaware of Hummatov's plans to visit Armenia, and she does not understand why her husband traveled there.[11] Hummatov died on 22 December 2022.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Amnesty International, Concerns in Europe, 2002". Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Azerbaijan: Council Of Europe Gives Baku Another Two Months On Issue Of Political Prisoners, By Jean-Christophe Peuch, 2003". www.globalsecurity.org.
  3. ^ a b World Report 2003 - Azerbaijan. Human Rights Watch
  4. ^ "ГУМБАТОВ (Гумматов) Аликрам - Биография - БД "Лабиринт"". www.labyrinth.ru. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Azerbaijan in a stir over political prisoner". BBC.co.uk. 6 February 2003. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Open letter to Mr. H.E Heydar Aliev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan". Sidiki Kaba, FIDH, April 2003
  7. ^ Узел, Кавказский. "Резко ухудшилось здоровье азербайджанского политического заключенного Алиакрама Гумматова". Кавказский Узел.
  8. ^ "Аликрама Гумматова заставили отказаться от гражданства Азербайджана". Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  9. ^ Hummatov v. Azerbaijan Judgement, UNHCR, 2007
  10. ^ a b "Former Azeri Commander Visits Artsakh". Asbarez. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b Həsənli, Elbəyi (2 October 2013). "Ələkrəm Hümmətovun həyat yoldaşından sensasion müsahibə". Yeni Müsavat (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  12. ^ "Ələkrəm Hümmətov vəfat etdi". Qafqazinfo. 22 December 2022.
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