Appeal court keeps activist under arrest

On 21 October, the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) rejected an appeal against the refusal to place social activist Nijad Ibrahim under house arrest.

Lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova told Turan that the defence had requested at the trial to present evidence of Ibrahim's infliction of bodily harm on a person recognised as a victim.

According to the investigation, Ibrahim stabbed another person.  In such a case, the incident should have been captured on the video cameras of the petrol station where the incident allegedly took place.

Responding to the defence's petition, the investigating officer said an instruction had been given to request for the video footage from the petrol station.

‘The videos should have already been in the case file, because 16 days have already passed,’ the lawyer said. She believes that the investigation is deliberately delaying the video evidence in order to later claim that the recordings have not been preserved.

According to the defence, the alleged video recording of the incident is the only evidence against Ibrahim, and until it is not available, it is unjustified to keep the activist in custody. However, the court did not accept these arguments and left the complaint without satisfaction.

According to the lawyer, during the trial Ibrahim stated that he would continue his hunger strike, which he has been holding since 5 October against the illegal criminal prosecution.

*Nijat Ibrahim was detained by the police on 9 September on charges of deliberately causing serious damage to health (Article 126.1 of the Criminal Code).

Since 5 October, Ibrahim has been on hunger strike in the pre-trial detention centre, believing that he is being punished for protesting against the Interior Ministry's ban on him leaving the country.

On 6 September, border guards did not let him on board the Baku-Chisinau flight, referring to the ban. At the same time, his wife and 2 minor children were allowed to board the plane.

After that, he called the Interior Ministry demanding cancellation of the ban and threatened to burn himself in front of the building of the Interior Ministry.

On 9 September, he was detained and charged.

** Ibrahim had already been prosecuted once before in 2021 and was arrested and sentenced to 15 months in prison on charges of violating the quarantine regime. The reason for the arrest was his solitary picket in front of the Presidential administration.--