Wife of Azerbaijani oppositionist Gumbatov worried about his fate

The whereabouts of Agil Gumbatov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), is unknown, his wife said. She and the activist's party comrades have doubted the investigators' version that he had wounded a man, and linked his detention with his criticism of the authorities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that March 30, 2020, Agil Gumbatov, a PFPA member, was sent for compulsory treatment at a mental clinic. On August 11, 2021, the activist was detained in connection with stabbing a person, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has claimed.

Aigyun Gumbatova does not believe that her husband could have stabbed someone.

"On the eve of his detention, Agil's Facebook account was hacked, and his video appeals, in which he demanded to set up children's benefits, were deleted from there. Our family has three children; because of poverty, we can't properly feed and dress them. And there are many families like ours. The state should take care of children," the woman said.

According to Ms Gumbatova, after her husband was discharged from the mental clinic, he temporarily stopped his video appeals. "But he continued writing in social networks," said the activist's wife.

In July, he restarted his criticism of the authorities' social policies, Aigyun Gumbatova has added.

The PFPA also doubts that Gumbatov could stab someone.