A student at Sumgait State University,[REF] Savalan became active in the youth wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), the nation's primary opposition party to the continued rule of President Ilham Aliyev, son of previous president Heydar Aliyev [REF].
On 4 February 2011, he posted on Facebook calling for a "Day of Rage" emulating recent pro-democracy protests in Egypt and Syria [REF].