Expert and Public Doubt Accident of Collision on Ogtay Gyulaliyev

Baku/30.10.19/Turan: The health of the human rights activist Ogtay Gyulaliyev worsened overnight after a car hit him on October 29.

The human rights activist, who launched a public campaign against torture in Azerbaijan a few days before the accident and was repeatedly arrested and convicted for protecting the rights of citizens, has a skull fracture and brain damage, according to the doctors.

A video of a hit by a Huyndai car appeared on the social network, showing the human rights activist walking along a pedestrian crossing. On the right, a taxi suddenly came at a high speed and knocked him down the crossing.

Fazil Mammadov, an automobile expert and traffic activist, watching this video said that the view was not entirely successful. The brake lights are not visible, and it seems the car began to brake only after the impact. The chance or intentional collision is controversial. An official request should be made to view video from stationary cameras.

“It is very difficult to say unequivocally whether the hitting was intentional or not. 95 percent say that the driver began to slow down after the impact. A driver who turns at the intersection and does not control this maneuver is either a fool, or drunk, or ... Anything is possible,” Mammadov said.

On Gyulaliyev’s Facebook page, comments appeared from his friends and unfamiliar citizens. Seyran Rafiyev writes:

The video clearly shows that this was not an accident; it seems like a deliberate run over. As you know, a few hours before the accident, a conference of the Committee against Repression and Torture was held. Eldaniz Guliyev, who spoke at the conference, was taken to the police station, and the well-known human rights activist Ogtay Gyulaliyev was knocked down at a pedestrian crossing. He is not an ordinary person, his merits in protecting the rights of prisoners and their families are undeniable...

Parviz Jafarli: It is not like a normal accident, with a completely empty road...

Lawyer Elchin Sadigov: I watched the video. This is not a consequence of negligence, but an attempt...

Elvin Yusifov: The collision occurred in a place where the driver could not help but see in front of him. The driver must look left when turning left.   -0-