Isgandar Hamidov

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İsgəndər Məcid oğlu Həmidov^[1] (also transliterated as Iskender Majid oglu Hamidov^[2] or Iskander Medjid oglu Hamidov^[3]) (born April 10, 1948 in Bagli Peya village, Kalbajar rayon^[3]) is a former Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan who served in the Popular Front government of 1992-1993.^[4]

As a chairman of National Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, informally known as the Grey Wolves, Hamidov plead for the creation of a Greater Turkey^[5] which would include northern Iran and extend itself to Siberia, India and China. He was known to have threatened Armenia with a nuclear strike^[5].

Isgandar Hamidov resigned in April 1993. In 1995, he was arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzlement of state funds ^[4] but was essentially treated as a political prisoner by the Amnesty International^[6] and the Council of Europe^[7]. He was pardoned by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev in 2004.

[edit] References

^ (Azerbaijani) Daxili İşlər Nazirliyi : DİN-in tarixi
^ Historic background of the MIA
^ ^a ^b Eldar Zeynalov. "The Case of Iskander Hamidov: A mirror of human rights violations in Azerbaijan", Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan (HRCA), December 28, 1996. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
^ ^a ^b Fariz Ismailzade. "Iskandar Hamidov is free. What is next for him?", Central Asia and Caucasus Analyst, January 14, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
^ ^a ^b (French) Martin A. Lee (March 1997). "Les liaisons dangereuses de la police turque". Le Monde diplomatique: p. 9. “Ce dernier choisit comme ministre de l’intérieur M. Iskender Gamidov, un extrémiste incontrôlable affichant son appartenance aux Loups gris et plaidant ouvertement pour la création d’une Grande Turquie qui comprendrait le nord de l’Iran et s’étendrait jusqu’à la Sibérie, l’Inde et la Chine. Il fut forcé de démissionner en avril 1993 après avoir menacé l’Arménie d’une attaque nucléaire.”
^ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR040012002?open&of=ENG-ARM Amnesty International. "Political prisoners in Azerbaijan and Armenia", 20 January 2002]
^ Amnesty International. "Concerns in Europe and Central Asia", July–December 2003