Convoys used violence against activist in courtroom

The trial of Mohiaddin Orujev in the Baku Court of Grave Crimes started on 7 January with the interrogation of prosecution witnesses. The first to testify was the police officer who supervised the detention of Orujev.

The witness's testimony contradicted his own words in the investigation materials. In court, he stated that drugs and psychotropic substances were found in Orujev's possession. The defence demanded that his testimony at the preliminary investigation be read out, and it was read out. During the investigation, the police officer said that during the search of Orujev's belongings ‘no drugs or psychotropic substances were found’.

Lawyer Nazim Musayev asked the witness to explain why he changed his testimony in court, however, the judge began to help the witness, trying to interpret his testimony.

The presiding judge Rasim Sadykhov offered to watch a video of Orujev's personal search by the police. However, the defence objected because the witness could alert other witnesses to the details of the case, the lawyer said.

When the judge ordered the video to be viewed, Orujev and his relatives began to protest loudly. At that point, Penitentiary Service officers used force against Orujev. The guards entered the glass cage, covered his mouth and handcuffed him from behind.

The activist's relatives were also pressurised by force, after which the session was adjourned and the hearing postponed indefinitely.

*Orujev was arrested on 13 December 2023 on charges of illegal drug trafficking on a large scale (Article 234.4.3 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan).  Earlier, in October 2023, he was administratively arrested for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police.

After his release, Orujev stated that the real reason for his arrest was criticism of the authorities on social media for labor rights violations.