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Last Updated: Sunday, 5 June, 2005, 06:57 GMT 07:57 UK
British woman held in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan map
A British woman has been detained in Azerbaijan after the authorities said a pistol was found in her luggage.

Almas Guliyeva, 46, is married to the nephew of the chairman of an opposition party in the former Soviet Republic.

She was held was during a check at Baku airport on Friday after attending a relative's funeral in the country.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that Mrs Guliyeva, who lives in north London with her two sons, has been detained and they are seeking access to her.

Customs officers found a pistol in her luggage as she tried to board a plane back to London, the authorities in Azerbaijan said.

She was framed for it so they can get to my family
Ilkin Guliyev
Mrs Guliyeva's son
Azerbaijani newspaper Muxalifat reports her lawyer as saying Mrs Guliyeva had nothing to do with the pistol.

Osman Kazimov said no problems were found when her luggage was checked at the airport's entrance.

Mrs Guliyeva's family in the UK said they were notified of her detention by relatives who had accompanied her to the airport.

'Political'

Her son, Ilkin Guliyev, 19, told BBC News she had been framed.

"I believe it was politically motivated," he said.

"She is a mother of two, she has got a nine-year-old son - she would not in her right mind carry a gun on board a plane.

"My uncles have been imprisoned in the past... and in this case I believe my mum was part of that, she was part of the game.

"She was framed for it so they can get to my family."

Mrs Guliyeva's husband Ilgar was away on business in Russia when she was detained but has been informed of the situation.

He is making his way back to the UK, Ilkin Guliyev said.

Ilgar's uncle, New York-based Rasul Guliyev, is the chairman of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and a former speaker of Azerbaijan's parliament.


SEE ALSO:
Timeline: Azerbaijan
25 May 05 |  Country profiles


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