Activist who protested against Interior Ministry put behind bars

Public activist Nijat Ibrahim, who protested against the Interior Ministry's ban on travelling out of the country, is behind bars. A criminal case has been opened against him under Article 126.1 (intentional damage to health) of the Criminal Code, lawyer Zibeyda Sadygova told Turan.

The Nasimi district court arrested him for four months back on 9 September, she said.

Ibrahim had already been prosecuted once in 2021. He was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment on charges of violating the quarantine regime after he tried to hold a solitary picket in front of the Presidential administration.

Since 5 October, Ibrahim has been on hunger strike in the pre-trial detention center.  As the lawyer recalled, Ibrahim was not released from Baku airport on 6 September for a flight to Moldova.  At the border control he was told that the Interior Ministry had imposed a ban on leaving the country. At the same time, his wife and two minor children were allowed through and they left for Chisinau.

The lawyer said that in fact the ‘stop’ imposed on Ibrahim by the Sabayil court decision was cancelled. Therefore, Ibrahim claimed that his arrest was unjustified. He called the Interior Ministry's ‘102’ service and complained about the illegal ban on travelling out of the countries.  The activist warned that if the illegal ban was not removed, he would self-immolate in front of the IM.

After that, on 9 September, an unknown man attacked him at a petrol station and threw him to the ground. Immediately afterwards, he was attacked by police officers who blindfolded him.

After that, a criminal case was opened against Ibrahim under Article 126.1 of the Criminal Code, and the court arrested him for 4 months.

The appeal against the arrest was rejected.  On 12 October Nasimi court did not satisfy the motion to transfer Ibrahim to house arrest.  The defense filed an appeal, and if it is not satisfied, the lawyer will send a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

Ibrahim faces up to 8 years of imprisonment. It was not possible to get a comment from the Interior Ministry.

In recent years, Party of People's Front of Azerbaijan activists Agil Humbatov and Zamin Salayev, political emigrant Samir Ashurov; deported from Germany, trade union activist Afiaddin Mammadov; former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov and war veteran Rza Safarsoy have been arrested on similar charges in Azerbaijan.