Azerbaijani Opposition Figure Rasul Guliyev Detained Overnight in the Netherlands

Rasul Guliyev, a former Azerbaijani parliament speaker who now lives in exile in the United States, was detained May 1 in the Netherlands on an Interpol arrest warrant. On May 2, Dutch immigration officials released the prominent Azerbaijani opposition figure after determining there was a lack of evidence to substantiate the warrant, a source familiar with the incident told EurasiaNet.

The incident occurred at a time of political uncertainty in Baku, where President Heider Aliyev is ailing and speculation is mounting over whether he will be fit enough to run for another term in the presidential election scheduled for October. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some Azerbaijan watchers say Guliyev may have sufficient support within Azerbaijan to mount a challenge for power in the event that Aliyev leaves the political stage. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives].

Presidential aides continue to insist that Aliyev still intends to seek another term. However, many analysts believe that Aliyev wants to pass his authority on to his son, Ilham. Meanwhile, a source tells EurasiaNet that influential members of the so-called "Nakhichevan Clan," which is a key pillar of support for Aliyev's administration, are reluctant to back the president's son. Instead, the source says, they are leaning towards support for Guliyev, who, like Aliyev, hails from the exclave of Nakhichevan.

Dutch authorities took Guliyev into custody at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The Azerbaijani warrant, issued through Interpol, reportedly sought Guliyev's extradition to Baku to face criminal charges relating to alleged misdeeds while serving as a government official. Guliyev remained in custody overnight at the airport before being released.

Guliyev in the early 1990s served as a deputy prime minister in Azerbaijan in charge of the oil sector. Later he served as speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament. He resigned as speaker in 1996 and shortly thereafter left the country, eventually settling in the United States. In recent years he has emerged as one of Aliyev's fiercest critics, and despite living in exile, has served as a leader of the opposition Azerbaijani Democratic Party. Azerbaijani leaders have long sought Guliyev's arrest and extradition, claiming that Guliyev misappropriated funds while in a position of authority. Officials in Baku also complain that Guliyev has carried out seditious activities while abroad.