Democracy-1918" Movement claims police pressures

Baku/17.03.22/Turan: Police put pressures on "Democracy-1918" movement to deprive the office.  

Organization Chairman  Ahmed Mammadli told Turan that on 15 March a divisional police inspector, an employee of the 20th police department and a man in civilian clothes showed up at the rented office in Nasimi district of Baku on 15 March.

"They said that there was a complaint from the neighbors as adding that they came for a preventive check due to the pandemic. Then they tried to fine the activists in the office," Mammadli said.

Then someone called them and they "changed the subject." "After the call, they started asking if there was a surveillance camera in the office and what we were doing. After that they accused us of tax evasion, as saying that the office "is not safe" and here "at any moment drugs can be found or terrorist activity can be revealed. So these were clear threats," Mammadli continued.

That same evening, he said, the owner of the premises called and asked to vacate the office.  "That didn't surprise us. Because we've been evicted 3-4 times already under a similar scenario," Mamedli said.

He said he would vacate the premises on March 20 or 21 in the presence of the press.

"The instruction for the actual eviction came from the Presidential administration," Mamedli believes.  He interpreted it as pressure by the authorities for fear of youth activism.

In turn, Elshad Hajiyev, spokesman for the Interior Ministry press service, told Turan that allegations of pressures on members of Democracy-1918 were unfounded and contrary to the reality. "Allegations that the police exert political pressures on any person or organization are manipulation," he said.

Recall that the Democracy-1918 movement was created under the name D18 by a group of activists in 2013 to promote democratic ideas in Azerbaijan and ensure human rights. The name of the organization indicates the movement's commitment to the ideas of Azerbaijan's first republic, the Azerbaijani People's Republic, which was proclaimed in 1918 and existed until 1920. -03В06-