PFPA activist arrested for publishing video about police actions

Mehman Aliyev, an activist of the Popular Front Party, was arrested for distributing videos on social networks, according to his family and associates. Father of the arrested man, Aydin Aliyev, told Turan, that his son distributed video footage of the violent detention of his cousin Ali Isayev in the city of Shirvan.

"It happened a week ago. Mehman came out to the noise when people in civilian clothes tried to detain Ali, who shouted that they wanted to accuse him of distributing drugs.  Mehman started filming and suggested that Ali be searched. However, people in civilian clothes continued to forcibly put him in a car. At that moment, Ali cut his hands. Only after that they left him," Aydin Aliyev said.

Later, the police demanded that the video be deleted, but Mehman refused.  As a result, both A. Isaev and M. Aliyev were arrested on charges of drug trafficking.  Their relatives learned about their arrest from official reports.

"Mehman just called yesterday and said that he was in the Kurdakhan pre-trial detention center and had been severely beaten by the police. He is accused of selling heroin.  This is not true, he earned a living by day work," the man said.

As for the other arrested person, A.Isayev was previously convicted, but he did not commit anything wrong.

The PNFA confirmed that M.Aliyev is a member of this party and his arrest was linked to the distribution of the video. These materials were published on the “Azadlig” newspaper's Facebook page.

The minute-long story shows footage of an attempt to detain a man who cuts his hands. Further in the video there is an audio recording, where it is claimed that a police officer persuades M.Aliyev to come to the police and delete the video.

Another audio claims that police officers demand from M.Aliyev's mother that he delete the video, otherwise he will be detained.

On May 24, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the detention of a person who injured himself and fled during detention in the city of Shirvan. Together with him, another person was detained, the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted, naming Isaev Ali Vahid oglu, born in 1987, and Aliyev Mehman Aydin oglu, born in 1983, residents of the city of Shirvan. Heroin in large quantities was found and seized from them, the Interior Ministry claimed.