Relatives of Ganimat Zahid Report Pressure in Course of Investigation

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Friday began a judicial investigation into the case of the relatives of the chief editor of the Azadlig newspaper Ganimat Zahid, that is Rufat Zahidov and Rovshan Zahidov. Rufat Zahidov is a mason, a nephew of the chief editor of Azadlig and the head of the satellite broadcasting television program Azerbaijani Hour Ganimat Zahid. Rovshan Zahidov is a cousin of the chief editor.

Both were arrested in July 2014. Initially, both were arrested administratively, and later they were accused of drug trafficking on a large scale in a group of persons (Article 234.4.1 and 234.4.3). They face 5 to 12 years in prison. During the meeting on February 26, Elchin Gafarov announced the indictment, according to which during the detention of Rufat Zahidov in Baku he was seized 5 grams of heroin. But Rufat Zahidov said that on the day of detention he noticed surveillance in the morning.

Near the cafe Shaki, where he parked his car, he was approached by 7-8 people in civilian clothes and detained and immediately planted drugs on him. Then he was handcuffed and taken to the Directorate for Combating Narcotics at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He also rejected the investigation’s statement that he allegedly passed a bag with drugs to the other accused, Rovshan Zahidov, on July 18. "I have not seen Rovshan for 1.5 years," he said. However, the police forced him to sign a confession under threat of arrest of his other close relatives. "The Drug Enforcement Administration made no secret that I was arrested by an order.

They told me that my uncles Mirza Sakit and Ganimat Zahid were also arrested and they would also be planted drugs," said Rovshan Zahidov.

On the day of the detention he was called and told there was an order, and he went to work. There he was approached by four people, who detained him, put him into a car and took him to the police. "I was told that I was arrested because of Ganimat. If not for him, I would not have suffered as they said," said Rovshan Zahidov. The next hearing is scheduled for March 18. The lawyers of both arrested men declare that the criminal case is just a fraud. -06D--