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National Council Concerned about Torture of Arrested PFPA Activists
Baku / 10.08.20 / Turan: The National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) issued a statement, which refers to the torture and ill-treatment of those detained after the "Karabakh march" in Baku on July 14-15.
Of particular concern is the fate of Fuad Gahramanli, member of the Presidium of the Popular Front (PFPA). There is still no convincing denial that he was brutally tortured, the statement said.
For more than two weeks of his arrest, his family and relatives have not been allowed to communicate with him, and there is no reliable information about his condition.
Under extremely strange circumstances, Gahramanli renounced his lawyer and did not appeal against his arrest, which only increased suspicion and concern about his condition.
An experienced and courageous politician, Gahramanli, who was arrested for the fourth time, would never voluntarily refuse a lawyer he knew and would not refuse to appeal against the arrest, the statement said.
The National Council expresses similar concerns about the state of other PFPA activists - Feiruz Rahimov, Baba Suleiman, Pasha Umudov and dozens of others who have become victims of the latest wave of repressions by the authorities.
The National Council calls on the authorities to finally stop these repressions and immediately release all innocent PFPA activists.
The National Council calls on the Ombudsman and the Baku office of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the arrested and provide the public with reliable information about their condition.
The National Council calls on the international community to take a tougher line against the Azerbaijani government, including targeted sanctions.
Finally, the NCDF calls on the country's democratic community to show more determination in protecting the “Karabakh prisoners” and other political prisoners and to demand their release.
His family is also concerned about the fate of Gahramanli. During the entire period of his detention since July 23, Gahramanli only once called his relatives after the visit by the Ombudsman and the conversation lasted about 1 minute.
“After a visit by his lawyer Bahruz Bayramov, we got a glimmer of hope and anxiety diminished a little. However, given the health problems, we are very worried. Fuad has diabetes and lung problems,” said one of his family members. —03B06
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