Observer reported threats of physical violence

Public activist Ahmed Mammadli reported pressure on him, including threats of physical violence, during the monitoring of voting at the municipal elections in Azerbaijan on Wednesday. According to him, the pressure occured at the 32nd polling station of the 23rd Nasimi-Sabayil electoral district, located at Baku School No. 35. The activist claimed he had recorded a new method of election rigging.

"Earlier, people who voted multiple times at different polling stations (carousel voting) would enter the polling stations in groups, but now they enter one by one. Near the polling stations, so-called 'coordinators' meet them. They instruct them on how to behave - enter one by one and not talk to each other," Mammadli said.

He filmed the work of these "coordinators" and other violations. Afterward, he faced pressure from election commission members and observers representing the authorities.

One of them, athletic looking man, openly threatened him. He said I filmed the sister of some criminal authority, and that person is threatening to kill me. I refused to leave the station and made a video appeal to report this. If something happens to me, the members of the commission and observers from the ruling party 'Yeni Azerbaijan,' who interfered in the election process, are responsible," Mammadli said. According to him, after the video appeal, the pressure on him ceased.