PFPA Activists Detained

Baku / 20.07.20 / Turan: Detentions of activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) continue. A member of the PFPA Presidium Bakhtiyar Imanov, activists Ramid Nagiyev, Shamsi Kesemenli and Ismail Hasanov were detained over the weekend. The places of their detention are not known.

The party believes that the detentions are related to the rally in support of the army on July 14-15, during which a group of people broke into parliament.

After these events, 12 people were detained. Activist Metanet Makhmarzaeva was released a day after being interrogated by the prosecutor's office. Later, Farid Asadov and Vugar Abilov were also released, and in relation to Elvin Mammadov, preventive measures were taken in the form of transferring them under police supervision.

Currently, in addition to Imanov, Nagiyev, Hasanov, Kesemenli, Asif Yusifli, Seymur Ahmedzadeh, Ramil Tagiyev, Mohammed Imanli remain in custody. Only Yusifli and Ahmedzadeh are charged.

The Nasimi District Court of Baku on the evening of July 18 chose a measure of restraint in the form of arrest for a period of 2 months and 28 days in relation to Yusifli and Ahmedzadeh. They were charged under Art. 186.2.1 (destruction or damage to someone else's property with causing major damage to the victim), Art. 233 (organization or participation in actions that entailed violation of public order) and Art. 315 (resisting or using violence against a government official) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Under these articles, they face up to seven years in prison, the Popular Front Party said.

Asif Yusifli's lawyer, Neymat Karimli, told Turan that the activist in court, when choosing a preventive measure, said that he did not accept the accusation, since he did not commit illegal actions.

"In general, the investigation did not present any primary evidence of Asif Yusifli's guilt," the lawyer stressed.

Lawyer Elchin Sadigov said his client Seymour Ahmedzadeh also does not plead guilty. —06D-