Bakhtiyar Hajiyev about the "customers" of his arrest

 Baku /22.01.23/ Turan: Public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, despite deteriorating state of his health, continues a hunger strike for the 14th day demanding  release from custody.

On January 22, he addressed Azerbaijani public, noting that the reason for his arrest was criticism of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Bakhtiyar told that his relatives on Sunday by phone.

“We urged Bakhtiyar to stop the hunger strike to preserve his health. But he was categorical, saying: “Either I will be released  or  will die,” family members told Turan.

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev's "appeal to the Azerbaijani society" was published by the head of the human rights organization "Protection Line" Rufat Safarov on his Facebook account.

Hajiyev notes that the reason for his arrest was "a conflict with the leadership of the law enforcement agencies that has arisen in the past two years."

“The reasons for this conflict are still unknown to me, but since March 2021, an unprecedented campaign of misinformation, slander, insults, and threats has been launched against me, which does not fit into any moral, moral framework. I repeatedly appealed and met with the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and asked them to stop this campaign, not to deepen the conflict,” Hajiyev notes. However, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs denied any involvement in this.

Hajiyev notes that he was forced to respond to the attacks. At the same time, the activist confirms that he carried out “consistent activities” to include Interior Ministry officials on international sanctions lists for human rights violations.

“On December 3, 2022, during a meeting with the head of the main police department of the city of Baku, Major General Vugar Alekperov, he demanded that I postpone my calls for sanctions against Azerbaijani law enforcement officers for 3-4 months. He explained this by the fact that he plans to continue his treatment and the treatment of his child in Germany.

In conclusion, he reminded me of the closed criminal case against me and threatened that "the charge could be renewed."

My arrest on the same day when the successive sanctions list was announced in the United States under the Magnitsky Act, which included the colonel of the Azerbaijani police, eloquently confirms the real reason for the criminal case against me,” Hajiyev notes.

As Turan reported, on December 9, 2022, the United States imposed sanctions against Colonel Kerim Alimardanov for human rights violations and abuses.

Alimardanov is an employee of the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan (“Band Department”) and appears on a list of more than 40 people from different countries for human rights violations and corruption.

“Alimardanov was sanctioned for involvement in gross human rights violations, namely the torture of detainees in 2015 and 2016,” the US State Department said in a December 9, 2022, statement.

   The activist accuses the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of organizing a coup against him. Rather than stop the smear campaign, they tried to shift the blame to various high-profile individuals. In particular, the Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that behind this were: Ali Nagiyev (head of the State Security Service), Mikyail Jabbarov (minister of economy), Hikmet Hajiyev (assistant to the president for foreign policy), Adalat Aliyev (head of the department of the presidential administration for relations with political parties ), Kamaladdin Heydarov (Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations)

“At meetings with Vugar Alekperov, he claimed that Mehriban Aliyeva (first vice president and first lady) was trying to remove Vilayat Eyvazov (head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and appoint a “new person against him”, writes Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.

The activist also notes that representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in conversations with him made it clear that they are extremely important for the  ruling regime. “The heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs openly declared: “If not for us, then the people will overthrow the president in 2 days,” Hajiyev writes.

In conclusion, the activist notes that in the absence of fair justice, he is forced to fight for his rights through a hunger strike, despite the risks to his health and life. He urged the local and international community not to remain indifferent to his fate.

It was not possible to get comments from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the statements of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.

* Recall that Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was detained on December 9 on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. On the same day, the Khatai District Court arrested him for 1 month and 20 days.

On December 15, Hajiyev went on a hunger strike demanding his release from custody. On the evening of December 28, he ended his hunger strike after persistent appeals from members of the public and family members. However, on January 9, Hajiyev resumed his hunger strike, after the appeal court once again rejected his complaint about the arrest, and continues it to this day.

   On January 21, the court extended Hajiyev's arrest for another 1 month. -03B06-