Azerbaijani economist Fazil Qasimov has been detained in Turkey and handed to Baku on unspecified charges, Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry said on August 8. Media reports said earlier that the Turkey-based Qasimov is a suspect in a case against Qubad Ibadoglu, the chairman of the unregistered opposition Azerbaijan Democracy and Welfare Party. Ibadoglu was arrested last month on a charge of counterfeiting after police claimed they found counterfeit money in his abandoned apartment in Baku. Ibadoglu rejected the charge, while Human Rights Watch demanded his immediate release, calling the charges against him "spurious." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.
