Criminal Case Launched against Tazakhan Miralamli

Baku / 14.03.20 / Turan: A criminal case has been launched against the correspondent of the Azadlig newspaper, a member of the opposition Popular Front Party (PFPA) Tazakhan Miralamli, on the complaint of Ata Abdullayev, who presents himself as a “video blogger”.

The subject of the proceedings was the incident on February 26 after activists of the PFPA visited the memorial to the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

According to Miralamli, he covered the event as a journalist. “Ata Abdullayev expressed foul language. And he went up to him and warned him to stop it. And he filed a complaint with the police that I allegedly hit him,” Miralamli said.

A few days later he was summoned to the 37th precinct of the Khatai district police department and taken an explanatory.

“That was at the end of February. I wrote an explanatory. I was told that there would be an examination. Then everything calmed down. I myself went to the department several times to find out what was going on. They told me that the inquirer is on vacation,” Miralamli said.

He learned about the initiation of the criminal case on March 13 from social networks.

Ata Abdullayev distributed a photo of the text of the investigator’s decision to institute criminal proceedings under Art. 221.1 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code.

On March 12, Abdullayev himself distributed a video message on his ATA TV Facebook page in which he announced that he would seek to prosecute Miralamli and convict him to prison.

It has not yet been possible to get comments from the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to Art. 221.1, Miralamli faces a fine in the amount of one thousand to three thousand manats ($ 600-1800), or correctional labor for up to one year, or restriction of liberty for up to one year, or imprisonment for up to one year.   -21D-