Religious activist hospitalised in serious condition

Baku/24.08.23/Turan: "Muslim Unity Movement" (MUM) member Jeyhun Balashov was placed under police supervision on 23 August and transferred from the pre-trial detention centre to a civilian clinic. The MUM told Turan that a decision to change the preventive measure and release Balashov from custody was adopted by the Lankaran court for serious crimes.

On August 23, his condition deteriorated sharply in Baku SIZO-1 and he was transferred to Baku Health Centre.

"We were informed from the hospital that Balashov entered the hospital hooked up to an artificial respiration machine. As a result of the trauma, a haematoma appeared in his brain," the MUM said.

In July, Balashov was physically pressurised in pre-trial detention after he denied drug trafficking charges in court and claimed that police officers had planted the drugs on him. It was reported that he was subjected to physical pressures in detention, but the penitentiary service denied these reports: https://www.turan.az/ext/news/2023/7/free/Social/ru/6543.htm

*Balashov was detained on 2 February by officers of the Beylagan region police department. He was charged under Article 234.4.3 (drug trafficking on a large scale) of the Criminal Code, which provides for 5 to 12 years of imprisonment. -0-