Azerbaijan has already started arresting employees of the Council of Europe

The Nasimi District Court in Baku on Monday took action on measures of restraint - arrest for two months against the head of the civil movement Republican Alternative (ReAl) Ilgar Mamedov and deputy chairman of the party Musavat Tofig Yagublu.

Both are accused of Article 233 (organization of actions aimed at disturbing public order) and 315.2 (resisting a police representative with violence, threatening the health and life) of the Criminal Code. In particular, they are charged with disorderly conduct during protests on January 24 in Ismayilli. In the case of evidence against the opposition activists they will face up to seven years in prison.

Yagublu and Mamedov deny the charges against them. According to lawyers, the decision to arrest will be appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Note that Mamedov, as director of the Baku School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe, in fact, is a staff member of this international organization. This situation will inevitably lead to international headlines in the world. A representative of such an influential international organization had never been attracted to justice in Azerbaijan before.

The School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe works in 15 countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and is one of the key tools in promoting European values. Every year these schools graduate about 600 people who are going to the final session in Strasbourg, where they face the leaders of the world of politics and business. -16C06-