Police of Khachmaz region have not released civil society activists

Today Cavid Nabiyev, an employee of the Election Monitoring and Democratic Studies Centre (EMDS) was detained by the police in Khachmaz region. His health has deteriorated  as a result of police violence reports the press release of the EMDS.

Despite the deterioration of  Nabiyev’s health  police refused to call an ambulance. 

Another activist  of the NGO, Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS), Gunay Ismayilova has not been released yet, and questioning is still ongoing.—16D--

​Two activists of civil society are arrested in Khachmaz

In the morning of 12 February, activists from the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDSC) and the Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS) - Javid Nabiyev and Gunay Ismayilova, were detained in Khachmaz (180 km  to the north of Baku.)

They were taken to Khachmaz police station. According to Ismailova, the reason for detention was the training conducted by the EMDSC in the "Sahil" Hotel. 

Under pressure from the police, the hotel owner refused to provide a place for the training. When the organizers tried to hold the training in the office of the American organization IREX, the police came back and evicted the participants.

Ismailova participated in the project as a coach, and the police told her that they were accused of not obeying the police and the invasion of another's premises. According to the civil society activists, the police fabricated evidence of "witnesses", including the owner of the office rented by IREX.

The activists were told that said they will have to wait for the meeting with the head of Khachmaz police, who will explain to them what they are accused of.—16B06-

Police break up event in Khachmaz

"We did not drive anyone away from the hotel. Simply the heads of the district told us to do so and I asked them to vacate the premises," said Atayeva.

Afterwards, the Centre’s staff decided to hold the event at a local office of IREX, but the police came and drove them away from there also. According to Nabiyev, criminal investigators from the Khachmaz police used threats and physical pressure to make them leave the office. Nabiyev was beaten by the police.

The Centre’s regional representative Aftandil Mammadli confirmed that the police raided the office of this international organization.

"This is lawlessness and arbitrariness," said Mammadli. Earlier, police undertook similar actions in the neighboring district of Guba.

He said that in connection with the event he called the Interior Ministry.

Police in Khachmaz refused to comment on the incident. -16D-