Nephew of Ganimat Zahidov is charged with possession of heroin (UPDATED)

A lawsuit  under Article 234.4.1 (illegal possession of drugs) was filed against  Rufat Zahidov, nephew of the editor of the newspaper "Azadlig" Ganimat Zahidov , Turan  learned from sources in law enforcement. The arrested faces up to 12 years in prison. Currently he is kept  in the  Sabail Police Department of Baku. Farasat Zahidov , father  of the arrested,  told Turan nrews agency  that  the police claims that his son's car was found five grams of  heroin.

"This is falsification, the  purpose of police is  to punish relatives of Ganimat Zahidov,"  said the father of the detained, and noted that police  is looking  another nephew  of Ganimat too.-03B-

2015 July 21 (Tuesday) 11:22:57

On Monday evening Rovshan Zahidov, cousin of the editor of Azadlig Ganimat Zahidov, was detained in Shamakhi. On the same day, the court arrested him for 25 days.

 At the same time, a nephew of the editor, Rufat Zahidov, was arrested in Baku. He is in custody in the office for fight against drugs. According to his father, the police took him directly from the workplace in the Yasamal district of the capital. The charges against him are still unknown.

A day earlier, another nephew of the editor, Tural was arrested in Shamakhi for 30 days on charges of resisting the police.

The editor said that these arrests are aimed to pressure him to stop airing the online TV program Azerbaycan Saati. Despite the repression against relatives, Ganimat Zahidov living in exile in France does not intend to stop his activities. -02B-

2015 July 20 (Monday) 15:24:11

On July 18, Baku police arrested Tural Zahidov, nephew of the editor of the newspaper Azadlig and head of the online program Azerbaycan Saati, who lives in political emigration in France for several years.

On the same day, the court of the Shamakhi region arrested Tural for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police, the editor wrote on his Facebook page.

On request of the agency Turan the duty police of the Shamakhi region confirmed that Tural Zahidov by the district court decision was arrested for violation of Article 310 of the Code of Administrative Offences (willful failure to comply with the legitimate demands of the police).

In its turn the editor said that Tural was not the only victim among his relatives.

Today, July 20, police arrived at the village Meysari in the Shamakhi region, where his old mother lives and tried to arrest his brother Rufat and nephew Afghan.

Police are also interested in those who came to see the journalist's mother in the days of Ramadan.

The editor of the country's leading opposition newspaper and Internet TV Azerbaycan Saati believes that his family was persecuted because Ganimat continued to harshly criticize the Azerbaijani authorities in his articles and television appearances. "Not being able to get to me, they're trying to blackmail me, arresting my relatives," he wrote. -03B-