20 Facts About Rovshan Javadov

Rovshan Bakhtiyar oghlu Javadov was an officer in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the chief of the Special Purpose Police Detachment of Azerbaijan.

Rovshan Javadov took on an early role in the early years of the newly independent Azerbaijan, becoming the leader of OPON, a military police unit of a few thousand people.

Rovshan Javadov was born on 19 October 1951 in Lachin.

In 1976, Rovshan Javadov entered the USSR Interior Ministry Military Academy in Rostov from which he graduated in 1980.

In 1982 Rovshan Javadov became the Police Inspector of Ganja.

In 1987, Rovshan Javadov, organized the underground Takamul Party in the NKAO and Ganja with his brother Mahir Javadov.

In January 1990, Soviet troops took control of Azerbaijan and fighting broke out in Baku and other cities between the Popular Front of Azerbaijan activists whom Rovshan Javadov helped train and Soviet troops.

Rovshan Javadov planned to withdraw to Ganja with his supporters and proclaim Ganja a capital city and resume fighting the occupation.

That same year Rovshan Javadov became Supreme Commander of OPON and rose to the rank of colonel the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

In 1993, Rovshan Javadov was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior in the Popular Front government and was elected as a Chairman of the Azerbaijan Youth Movement.

Huseynov and Rovshan Javadov supported Aliyev in the 1993 presidential elections, and he was victorious.

Huseynov and Rovshan Javadov began to purchase arms for the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and restarted the Fizuli offensive in January 1994.

In June 1994 Rovshan Javadov announced his aim to run for the November 1995 parliamentary elections in which he would represent the opposition block to the authoritarian rule of Heydar Aliyev.

Mahir Rovshan Javadov publicly challenged the charges against him and called for an objective investigation and an immediate release of the OPON members.

Mahir Rovshan Javadov resisted the arrest and with eight members of his security personnel from OPON quickly disarmed the forty-five presidential guards.

Rovshan Javadov arrested Omarov and others who were executing the illegal arrest warrant apparently issued by Aliyev.

Rovshan Javadov immediately returned to Baku to organize OPON reinforcements along the front lines.

Rovshan Javadov tried to use diplomatic means to end the bloodshed and prevent a civil war.

On his way to meet Aliyev, Rovshan Javadov was wounded by the pro-Aliyev militia and was taken to the Interior Ministry Hospital by his security personnel.

In 1998 Mahir Rovshan Javadov moved to Iran where he remained until January 2003.