Protection will appeal the decision of the Yasamal court in the case of Mehman Aliyev

Baku/31.08.17/Turan: The defense will appeal to today's decision of the Yasamal district court, which left the complaint on the detention of the director of the Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev unresolved,said the lawyer Fuad Agayev. The complaint was filed against the decision of the investigator of the Department of Preliminary Investigation of Tax Crimes of the Ministry of Taxes, Vusal Ibadov on the detention of M. Aliyev.

According to the lawyer, the investigator claimed the legality of the decision, referring to the fact that on August 25 the court elected preventive measures in the form of arrest against the journalist, and on August 30 the appellate court upheld the decision. However, the defense insisted on the groundlessness of the decision.

The investigator motivated this by the fact that Mehman Aliyev, while remaining at large, could hide from the investigation. "But we gave concrete evidence that Mehman Aliyev came to the tax department from the very beginning of the investigation by the first call. He appeared when he was even invited informally on the phone - without an agenda and the investigative body cannot refute it," said the lawyer.

He also pointed out that on the day of the arrest Aliyev was summoned to the investigation without an official summons.

"On August 24, Mehman Aliyev and I were in the Baku Court of Appeal, considering the agency's complaint for an illegal search by the tax authorities. When Mehman Aliyev was in the courtyard, he was offered to go with the representatives of the investigation to the department and he agreed, although he had the right not to go because there was no official agenda. Therefore, there can be no question of evading the investigation," said the lawyer. The court, however, dismissed the complaint, citing the subsequent decision to arrest Aliyev. However, Agayev found this argument illogical.

"How can you justify what happened on August 24th by what was to happen on the 25th. In short, we again faced with another lawlessness," said the lawyer Agayev. Protection will appeal this decision to the appellate instance.

* Mehman Aliyev was detained on August 24. The next day he was charged under the Article 213.1 (tax evasion), 308.1 (misuse of official powers) and 192.2.2 (illegal business with the extraction of large income) of the Criminal Code. The court elected a preventive measure against him in the form of arrest until November 7. Aliyev rejected all accusations and called them politically motivated.

International organizations condemned Aliyev's arrest and called for his immediate release. The US State Department also called for the immediate release of Mehman Aliyev. Concern about the arrest of Aliyev expressed the French and British Foreign Ministries, urging the Azerbaijani authorities to comply with their international obligations in the field of human rights. -03C06-