Arrested human rights activist accuses Admiral

Bakhtiyar Mammadov, human rights activist and head of the firm "With faith in the law", who was accused of fraud and extortion, says that he is being persecuted for political reasons at the order of the commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral, Shahin Sultanov.

Mammadov was arrested in late 2011 after he began  to protect the rights of soldiers evicted from the area around the square flag by the orders of the Navy Command.

The text of Mammadov  final speech in court on February 21  sent to Turan  by his relatives, reads that  before his arrest, pressure was put on his daughter-serviceman and his  brother -a teacher of  military academy.

Mammadov said that  he stores videos  in safe places, exposing illegal activities  of Sultanov. If the illegal actions do not stop, he will distribute the materials in social networks. In one of the videos at the order of Sultanov, the wall along the main road, where  families of military servants lived, was demolished. 

At trial, the Navy representative Elkhan Hajiyev said that  two million manta were  allocated  for the improvement of military families, while 25 families were paid to 10,000 manat, and  with the remaining amount allegedly were to be built houses in the village of Puta. 

"In May 2012 the military  servants were promised fully renovated apartment, but now is February 2013, but there are not any apartments, and the money  were misappropriated,"  said Mammadov.

He called on the court to make an objective judgment. Earlier, the prosecutor suggested to imprison Mammadov  to 12 years. The verdict to be announced on February 25th was not  passed.—06D-