Court of Appeal Leaves PFPA Activist Ahmadli Arrested

On Wednesday, the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) held its consideration of complaint from the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Fuad Ahmadli against the decision on his arrest as a preventive measure.

However, the complaint was rejected, and BCA upheld the decision of the Sabail District Court of Baku, the activist’s lawyer Asabali Mustafayev told Turan.

Ahmadli was arrested on August 18. The evening of August 19 the State Security Service and the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement in connection with Ahmadli’s case. The press release reported that Ahmadli was charged with dissemination of the personal data of subscribers to the Azerfon mobile communication company, where he worked. Ahmadli is charged with violation of the legislation on operative-investigative activity and abuse of office. According to law enforcement officials, during the search in Ahmadli’s apartment they found prohibited religious books, CD disks and leaflets with speeches by Gulen. On August 23, law enforcement authorities announced the merger of Ahmadli’s case with the case of another activist of PFPA Faig Amirov, also suspected of collaboration with the Gulen organization.

The lawyer Mustafayev stressed that, despite the merger of the cases by the Prosecutor General’s Office, Ahmadli is still kept in the prison of the State Security Service and is not transferred to the detention facility of the Penitentiary Service.

In this regard, the defense will submit a separate complaint.

Mustafayev said the accusations against Ahmadli are unfounded.

The activist’s father said that during the search in the apartment the law enforcement agencies found no literature or disks associated with Gulen and just took several fiction books with them. His relatives deny any connection of Ahmadli with the Gulen movement.   --06D--