Amnesty International Urges to Release Activists of NIDA
Amnesty International urged the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the remaining detained five activists of NIDA.
The statement noted that as a result of appeals to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on December 29 2014 he pardoned activists of NIDA, Zaur Gurbanli and Uzeyir Mammadov. Before that, on October 18, 2014 he pardoned Bakhtiyar Guliyev and Shahin Novruzlu.
However, 5 activists arrested for freedom of expression, Rashadat Akhundov, Mahammad Azizov, Ilkin Rustamzade, Rashad Hasanov and Omar Mammadov are still in prison.
* NIDA activists were arrested in connection with the protest on March 10, 2013 in Baku against the soldiers' deaths in the army and sentenced to 6-8 years on charges of organizing mass disorder, illegal possession of explosives, drugs and others. The activists have been recognized by Amnesty International as "prisoners of conscience". -16D-
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