Nemat Panahly: �I was arrested for criticizing Ali Hasanov�

Baku/18.10.18/Turan: The Baku Court of Appeal today considered a complaint against an administrative arrest for 30 days of the chairman of the National Statehood Party Neimat Panahly. He was arrested on October 12 by a decision of the Nasimi District Court, which found him guilty under the Article 535.1 (not subordinating the police) to the Code of Administrative Offenses. However, in court he denied the charge. Panahly said that on October 12, he was detained near the house in which he lives. He stopped the car and went to the side of the house, but at that moment he was detained by people in civilian clothes and taken to the Nasimi police.

Attorney Zibeyda Sadigov petitioned to inspect the recordings of surveillance cameras from the building near the house of Panahly, as well as the school and other objects. Panahly, in turn, said that he had not offered any resistance. In the police, he asked for a lawyer and contact his family members. However, he was refused. Panahly said that the true cause of his arrest was an October 10 interview with Obyektiv TV Internet television. "In this interview I mentioned Sheikh Pashazade, Ali Hasanov," said Panahly. In nearly two hours of interviews, he talked about the poor standard of living and corruption. At the same time, those who once supported the enemies of Heydar Aliyev are in power. Among these, he named presidential assiatant Ali Hasanov.

As a student at Moscow State University, Ali Hasanov initiated and sent letters of support to Abdulrahman Vezirov, Panakhly claimed. He also called Sheik Allahshukur Pashazade's opponent of Heydar Aliyev when Ayaz Mutalibov was in power. After listening to the speech of Panahly, Judge Mirzali Abbasov rejected the complaint.

* Panahly gained fame as the leader of multi-day rallies on Azadlig Square (then called Lenin) in Baku in November 1988. In 1993, N.Panahly entered the Heydar Aliyev team. However, on the eve of 1995, he left her, accusing the authorities of preparing election fraud. In 2011, Panahly was sentenced to 7 years in prison on charges of hooliganism. However, in March 2016 he was pardoned. -06D--