Bakhtiyar Hajiyev commented on "dirt" circulated against him

Baku/28.12.22/Turan: Arrested social activist Bakhtiar Hajiyev has clarified the video circulated about him in social networks the day before. 

The human rights organisation "Defence Line" published a commentary by Hajiyev, who pointed out that his correspondence and voice messages had been distributed by law enforcement agencies who seized them "through cybercrime".

"I have previously stated publicly that I was contacted in early 2019 at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev. I was told that Aliyev had been launching reforms and would like me to be represented in a new team in some state structure as well.  The talks with me were led by the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Kamalaleddin Heydarov. We had repeated meetings with him, I was asked proposals on socio-political problems and ways to solve them," Hajiyev says.

Further, the head of the State Security Service, Ali Nagiyev, was assigned to conduct negotiations, Hajiyev said.  The SSS chief asked the activist to give proposals for five directions of reforms. Hajiyev presented proposals on four areas.

"I left the last part free considering that if the President really intends to carry out reforms and appoint me somewhere, he will make the fifth proposal himself," Hajiyev notes.

However, the process dragged on and proved fruitless. For this reason, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has decided to run in the 2020 parliamentary elections.

"I put forward my candidacy for the constituency where the President himself votes. I decided that if the elections would be rigged, then the talk of reforms could be considered another imitation.

I want to stress that I have repeatedly talked about these talks in the press and on social networks," Hajiyev continued.

According to him, law enforcement agencies falsified and distributed his correspondence in 2021 in order to create a conflict between him and others, and the falsification has been proven.

"What is clear is that those who ordered and carried out my arrest, by imposing a ban on visits and phone calls, isolating me, leaving me without protection, and falsifying my correspondence, seek to discredit me and put me against certain public and political figures and create a conflict," Hajiyev writes.

It has to be kept in mind that Hajiyev allegedly secretly cooperated with Kamaleddin Heydarov, head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and covertly promoted the agency.

* Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was detained on 9 December on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. On the same day, the Khatayi district court arrested him for 1 month and 20 days. On 15 December, Hajiyev pledged to go on an indefinite hunger strike demanding his release from custody. -03/06D-