Human rights activist complains about the actions of border guards and Customs at the ECHR

Baku / 19.04.19 / Turan: Human rights activist Samir Kazimly appealed to the ECHR in connection with special checks, which he was subjected to when leaving and entering Azerbaijan at the state border.

According to Kazimly, from November 11, 2014, when leaving and entering Azerbaijan, he was detained by State Border Service officers and handed over to representatives of the State Customs Committee. They inspected the hand luggage, check the availability of cash, bank cards, ask about the purpose of the visit, place of work, make copies of the pages of the passport, where there are visas.

For five years, he was 34 times subjected to such checks, however, no explanations are provided to him. The activist heard how the border guards and customs officers, talking among themselves, call him C 5 and C 11.

He believes that the reason for the inspections is his article published on October 22 in 2014 in the newspaper "The New York Times" about the persecution of NGOs in Azerbaijan, as well as human rights and public activities. (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/opinion/azerbaijans-increasingly-intolerant-regime.html)

For the first time he underwent a similar check 20 days after the publication of this article during his departure to Oslo. An activist sued the border guards and customs, but in vain. -06D--