Elchin Sadigov Addresses to Heads of General Prosecutor`s Office, Interior Ministry and State Security Service Due to Threats

The lawyer Elchin Sadigov addressed to the heads of the General Prosecutor's Office, Interior Ministry and State Security Service in connection with the threats and blackmail against him by the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC). He asked to investigate the threats and to punish those responsible.

The lawyer said that the morning of November 2, he was in GDCOC for documents on the case of the journalist Fikret Faramazoglu.

However, an investigator at the checkpoint told him: "You and Fikret Faramazoglu's wife distribute negative information about our department, and it will be costly for you." After that information appeared about the alleged love affairs of the lawyer and the journalist's wife on the Internet.

Further, fake profiles of the lawyer appeared on Facebook.

Note that online reytinqinfo.az on 2 November published an article under the title: Love Affair of Fikret Faramazoglu. Secret Communication of Journalist's Wife and Lawyer - Sensational Facts, Shocking Correspondence.

Soon, however, the article was removed from the website. The chief editor of Rating Afig Mirzabayli said the editorial board is not related to the publication and the site had been subjected to a hacker attack.

Sadigov says that for the almost 10-year advocacy he was repeatedly subjected to pressure for defending the rights of journalists, political and social activists.

Recently, however, the threats have intensified. They sound in pro-government media and they are made in the form of hacker attacks. It comes to practical action.

Thus, according to Sadigov, on 27 August he was subjected to threats on the trial, which led GDCOC, from employees of the agency and the witnesses cooperating with it. 

After the court session, he found out some liquid under his car. Experts established that the oil leaked from under the gearbox was a result of the opening of a bolt there. "This bolt could never open without outside interference," writes Sadigov.

Finally, on 3 November the questioning of his relatives began in the Goygol area, where the lawyer comes from.

“A member of the criminal investigation department of Goygol police summoned my brother and demanded information about my family and my children, and where we live and where we are registered as residents. My brother refused to answer and told me about that. I talked on the phone with the police, who said they had received a request about me, and they had to gather information,” the lawyer told Turan.

Sadigov is convinced that all this is due to the threats made by GDCOC employees in his address the day before.

“I do not understand why they do not ask me and just disturb my relatives instead. Of course, this is done as a sort of psychological pressure on my family,” he said.

He further notes that after his client Giyas Ibrahimov was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on October 25, hacking began and viruses were sent to his Facebook profile and e-mail. As a result, his cell phone was also blocked and for 4-5 hours it did not receive calls.

And on the morning of November 2 he underwent open threats from an employee of GDCOC in that department.

He recalls that Article 61 of the Constitution creates the guarantees of advocacy.

The lawyer hopes that the heads of law enforcement agencies will take important steps to investigate the threats against him and the cyber crimes.

Media Rights Institute (MRI) expressed concern over the campaign of pressure on the lawyer Elchin Sadigov and his wife Zibeyda, also a lawyer.

The statement indicated that both lawyers, being active MRI team members, protect those affected for the realization of freedom of expression and the press.

MRI states that after Sadygov was threatened in GDCOC on November 2, illegally obtained private photos of his wife Zibeyda were distributed on Facebook.

"Such blatant attacks on persons providing legal services once again clearly show big problems in the implementation of justice in the country. The government is committed to protect the rights and ensure the safety of judges, along with prosecutors, investigators and representatives of the defense side - the bar," MRI said.

 In conclusion, it called to urgently and efficiently investigate the illegal actions against Sadigov and other lawyers.

Our attempts to get comments on the matter from GDCOC failed.-06B-