Azerbaijani political emigrants held a protest action in Berlin

Baku/22.04.22/Turan: On April 21, Azerbaijani political emigrants living in Germany held protests in front of the German Foreign Ministry, and the offices of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. They demanded the release of activists deported from Germany and arrested in Baku, said Sirus Ibrahimli, a member of DAS (Choose Democratic Azerbaijan).

According to him, the purpose of the action was to draw attention to the facts of repressions of activists expelled from Germany in June-November 2021: Mutallim Orudzhev, Malik Rzayev, Jafar Mirzoyev and Pyunkhan Karimli. They were arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of drug trafficking and tortured.

On March 29, another activist deported Samir Ashurov, was arrested 20 days later on charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm. According to Ibrahimli, all five in Germany participated in protest rallies against violations of human rights in Azerbaijan. This gives reason to believe that they are being persecuted for political reasons.

Another organizer of the rally, Haji Kalpalizade, said that the arrests of those deported to Azerbaijan were made in violation of international law. Therefore, the protesters appeal to the German Foreign Ministry, the embassies of democratic states and international organizations with a call to recognize the above-mentioned activists as political prisoners and demand that Baku comply with the principles of the Readmission Agreement.

The demands of the protesters were transferred to the German Foreign Ministry, the offices of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in Germany. The German authorities should also take appropriate measures to release these activists, the appeal says. —06D-