Dayanat Babayev was released from custody pending investigation

The Nasimi district court in Baku released from custody a member of the Youth Committee of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Dayanat Babayev, charged with disorderly conduct. Babayev was released pending investigation.

Recall Babayev was arrested administratively for seven days on charges of disobeying police during the protest at Fountain Square on November 17. Last Saturday, after the expiry of the administrative penalty Babayev was detained as a suspect in a criminal case under investigation in the Nasimi district police office under Article 221.2.1 (hooliganism committed by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code.

On November 26 the investigation made a submission to the court in respect of choosing arrest as a restrictive measure against Babayev.

However, the lawyer of the activist Asabali Mustafayev made a request for release of Babayev from custody. He pointed to the failure of the arguments of the investigator that arrest should be chosen against Babayev as a preventive measure, because he could hide from the investigation. Mustafayev noted that Babayev was allegedly involved in an incident occurred on November 7.

"If Babayev wanted to deliberately conceal from the investigation, he had a lit of time to do it," said Mustafayev.

In the end, the judge decided to release Babayev from custody. But Babayev is under investigation.

After the trial Babaev was again taken to the Nasimi police and came out around 21.00.

In an interview with Turan Babayev said that he had been taken a subscription of not leaving. "I was taken away the passport and the ID card, so I could not go anywhere. I have been released during the investigation," Babayev said, adding that he insists on the complete cessation of the criminal case.

According to the investigation, in the evening of November 7 Babayev, along with another activist of PFPA Rahim Musayev committed acts violating public order in the center of Baku. So, being in a drunken state, they insulted a Tofig Salimov and caused him minor injuries.

In fact, as the head of the press service of the PFPA Natig Adilov said, this man (Salimov) introduced himself as an official of the Interior Ministry and invited the activists to follow him to the police station. When the youth activists demanded his submission of the business card, he ran away. Then the activists reported this to a police officer nearby, but they themselves were detained. -06D -