Rauf Arifoğlu

Rauf Arif oghlu Abbasov (born July 23, 1966, Yuxarı Öysüzlü, Tovuz District), known as Rauf Arifoğlu, is an Azerbaijani journalist. He is the founder and head of the Yeni Musavat Media Group. In 1988, he joined the national liberation movement. In 1989, he unofficially published "Birlik Magazine". In 1989, he founded the "Yeni Musavat" (New Equality) newspaper. At the same time, he founded the Azerbaijan National Democratic New Musavat Party (ANDNMP). In 1992, he and several members of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan re-established the Musavat Party (Equality Party), and AMDNMP joined Musavat. At different times he was a member of the Divan (Supreme body) of Musavat, and deputy chairman. He resigned from the membership of the party on July 15, 2015.

Rauf Arifoğlu was a candidate for the parliamentary elections several times. He was imprisoned several times for his political activities. And he was recognized as a political prisoner by many international organizations. His last parliamentary candidacy was controversial. All Azerbaijani media wrote about this right. The election in that region was cancelled.

Life

Rauf Arif oghlu Abbasov was born on July 23, 1966, in Yuxarı Öysüzlü village of Tovuz District. In 1983, he graduated from the high school of this village. In 1983–1988 he graduated from the Azerbaijan Institute of Technology majoring in engineering technologist, and in 1994–1996 he graduated from the Faculty of World Politics and Economics of Western University majoring in political science.

Socio-political activity

Arifoğlu joined the Azerbaijan National Freedom Movement in 1988. In late 1989, he unofficially published "Birlik Magazine". On November 10, 1989, he founded the "Yeni Musavat" newspaper. At the same time, he was one of the five founders of the Azerbaijan National Democratic New Musavat Party (AMDP "New Musavat"), the organization's secretary for ideological issues. The Central Office of the Party and the secret editorial office of the "Yeni Musavat" newspaper were moved to Ganja from December 1989 to the end of 1991.

On July 22, 2015, he was awarded the honorary title of Honored Journalist by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his activities in the field of journalism. On May 27, 2019, he was awarded the anniversary medal "100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic" by another presidential decree.

On July 27, 2016, he was awarded the Mirza Jalil Higher Media Award.

In July 2017, he was awarded the Seyid Jafar Peshevari Award by the Congress of South Azerbaijan.

He was awarded the "Memorial Medal" by the Congress of European Azerbaijanis on July 22, 2020.

In addition, Arifoğlu was awarded certificates and plaques by a number of Turkish and Azerbaijani NGOs.

Family

He is married and has 3 children.