Ilkin Rustamzadeh's Parents Call on Public to Rise to Protect His Rights

Baku / 19.08.18 / Turan: The parents of the imprisoned activist of the NIDA movement Ilkin Rustamzadeh appealed to the local and international public due to his six years in prison.

"Ilkin has been in prison for six years now. It worries us as parents. Both Ilkin and we believe that his defense is not at the proper level. International organizations and the European Court of Human Rights make decisions about all political prisoners who are in prison, and those who are already at large. However, there is nothing in Ilkin's case. It's as if some kind of force is pulling Ilkin's business back," the activist's parents Bakir Khalilov and Atlas Huseynova said in a statement.

Rustamzadeh is one of the eight NIDA activists who were arrested 5.5 years ago and sentenced to long imprisonment on charges of organizing riots and committing other crimes. They were arrested in connection with the protest action against soldiers' deaths on March 10, 2013.

Except Rustamzadeh sentenced to 8 years in prison, all the rest are currently at large. Amnesty International recognizes all the convicts as "prisoners of conscience".

Rustamzadeh's parents are urging the local and international community to expand the campaign in his defense. They call on international human rights organizations, Azerbaijani NGOs, party leaders and civil society activists to fight in defense of Rustamzadeh.

The Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country. -06D--