Afgan Mukhtarly Not Given Books by Mammad Emin Rasulzadeh and Not Allowed Meetings with Relatives

Baku / 14.08.17 / Turan: Employees of the Kurdakhany detention center on August 12 again did not allow Afgan Mukhtarly's relatives to meet with him. Moreover, they refused to hand over three works by Mammad Emin Rasulzadeh, one of the founders of the Azerbaijan People's Republic (APR), to the journalist.

Turan was informed about this by Mukhtarly"s comrade, a youth activist Samir Asadli, to whom the family of the arrested journalist issued a power of attorney for a meeting with him.

However, neither Asadli nor other activists, to whom the family also issued a power of attorney, have ever been able to get a meeting. "We took three books by Rasulzadeh, but they were returned. The authorities, apparently, are afraid even of disseminating Rasulzadeh's ideas," Assadli said.

The defense appealed to the court against the ban on Mukhtarly"s meetings, but the court dismissed the complaint. This decision was appealed.

** Mukhtarly was abducted on May 29 in Tbilisi and transferred to Azerbaijan, where he was charged with illegal crossing of the border, smuggling, and using violence against a border guard. He rejected the accusations. Amnesty International recognized him as a "prisoner of conscience". --0B06-