How President Aliyev Became The Corrupt Despot of Azerbaijan - Harut Sassounian
Ilham Aliyev became President of Azerbaijan in a controversial election in 2003. He purged the old guard of oligarchs and officials and jailed "hundreds of functionaries belonging to the main opposition party, the Popular Front of Azerbaijan.” Among those jailed were “hundreds of journalists, activists, and other opponents of the government from the last two decades. As of 2015, Azerbaijan had more than twice the number of political prisoners as Belarus and Russia combined.” Nevertheless, “Aliyev expected most corruption to flow through him and his family."
