Baku: Today marks the 142nd anniversary of the birth of prominent social and political figure, one of the founders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and Chairman of the Azerbaijan National Council, Mahammad Amin Rasulzade, APA reports. Mahammad Amin Rasulzade was born on January 31, 1884, in the village of Novkhani near Baku.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, at a young age, Rasulzade participated in the formation of the 'Hummet' organization together with social democrats. Persecuted by the Tsarist regime, he emigrated to Iran in 1909 and worked as editor-in-chief of the newspaper 'Irane-nou.' Following the suppression of the Constitutional Revolution, he moved to Turkey. In 1911, he joined the Musavat Party and was elected Chairman of its Central Committee four years later. In 1918, alongside Fatali Khan Khoyski, he announced the establishment of the first republic in the East. After the Bolshevik occupation on April 28, 1920, Rasulzade was arrested, but was later released and taken to Moscow by Stalin's order. He refused to cooperate with the Soviet authorities and left the USSR.

Rasulzade passed away on March 6, 1955, in Ankara. On December 24, 1992, Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey signed an order addressing the return and welfare of Rasulzade's family members who faced repression during the Soviet regime. On December 29, 1993, President Heydar Aliyev issued an order to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Rasulzade's birth.

On November 22, 2013, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order celebrating the 130th anniversary of Rasulzade, leading to a series of events in Azerbaijan and abroad. To honor the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's establishment, 2018 was declared the 'Year of the Republic' by President Ilham Aliyev. Most recently, on December 30, 2023, President Aliyev signed an order to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Mahammad Amin Rasulzade.