On January 7, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes began an investigation into the case of the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Mehman Aliyev, who is accused of illegal drug trafficking.
As lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev told Turan, Aliyev stated in court that he was being prosecuted on fabricated charges.
The activist said that the reason for his arrest was his refusal to delete the video of his relative Ali Isayev being detained by civilians. The latter shouted that they wanted to falsely accuse him of a drug-related crime.
Aliyev suggested that the police conduct a personal search of Isayev in front of the camera.
However, they refused to do so and continued trying to put Isayev in a car. In doing so, Isayev cut his hand in protest. Aliyev distributed the footage on the Internet and refused to delete it, after which he was detained.
The oppositionist told the court that he was subjected to physical violence after his detention.
"During the medical examination upon admission to the pretrial detention center, doctors found abrasions on his body. Unfortunately, our complaint about torture against Aliyev by the police was not investigated by the prosecutor's office," the lawyer said.
The next court hearing in Aliyev's case was scheduled for January 21.
* On May 22 of this year, police in Shirvan attempted to detain Ali Isaev, Mehman Aliyev's cousin. Aliyev publicized a video of the attempted detention and an audio recording of phone conversations with police officers demanding the video be deleted. After the incident, Aliyev went to Baku and was detained on May 23. Party members claim that Aliyev is being persecuted for spreading videos critical of the police, a claim denied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Politics
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Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan rejected Ilham Aliyev's demands for Yerevan to stop acquiring weapons. "Armenia has acquired and will continue to acquire weapons solely for the purpose of self-defense. Over 200 square kilometers of our sovereign territory is under the control of Azerbaijan. And even to regain these territories, we do not intend to consider military action, but rather a process of demarcation. So, we are buying weapons and have no intention of sending them back," he stated.
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On January 8, Ilham Aliyev received the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian. Ahmadian conveyed greetings from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to Aliyev. Aliyev asked Ahmadian to convey his reciprocal greetings.
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On November 8, a hearing took place in the Sabail District Court regarding the criminal case of Aziz Orudjov, the head of Kanal-13. During the session, Orudjov's lawyers requested that his pre-trial detention be changed to house arrest. However, the request was not granted. The prosecutor then announced the indictment. Orudjov denied the charges against him. The next court session is scheduled for January 24.
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On January 8, President Ilham Aliyev received Magdalena Grono, the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, according to the Azerbaijani President's press service. Grono expressed condolences over the AZAL plane crash and expressed hope that all the causes of the crash would be thoroughly investigated. Noting that Azerbaijan is an important partner for the European Union, Grono emphasized that the EU is interested in ensuring sustainable stability in the South Caucasus region. She highlighted the importance of dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan, noting Azerbaijan's significant contribution to Europe's energy security.
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