Rustam Usubov Complains about Lawyer

Baku / 10.12.19 / Turan: The Bar Association began disciplinary proceedings against the lawyer Elchin Sadigov. The reason for this was the appeal sent to the Bar on November 14 by First Deputy Prosecutor General Rustam Usubov. This was reported to Turan by Sadigov himself.

According to Sadigov, the complaint is related to his status, written on social networks on October 30 in connection with the accident in which the human rights activist Ogtay Gyulalyev was seriously injured.

“I watched the video of the accident, and expressed my opinion that the car intentionally knocked down Ogtay Gyulalyev. Because of this status, Rustam Usubov complained about me at the Bar Association, ”Sadigov said.

According to him, the Bar should not consider this complaint. “Consideration of a complaint regarding my status is not within the competence of the Bar Association. Because this status was not associated with my advocacy, ”said Sadigov.

He said he had addressed President Ilham Aliyev, First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, international organizations, and embassies of foreign states in connection with this matter.

In his appeal, Sadigov recalls that he defended the rights of hundreds of citizens during his 10-year advocacy, and was repeatedly pressured due to his specialization in advocacy.

He points out that in connection with his indicated status the Prosecutor General’s office opened against him “material” under number 05/137 / XİD.

Although the prosecutor’s office does not have the power to conduct official investigations into lawyers, the lawyer added.

Usubov in his complaint to the Bar Association accuses Sadigov of disseminating unreasonable information about road accidents, and thus casts a shadow on the investigative activities of state bodies, forms an erroneous opinion among citizens trying to form a distrust of the state.

And the acceptance by the Bar Association of this complaint into the proceedings is absolutely illegal, for the subject of the investigation of the prosecutor’s office concerns the freedom of expression of Sadigov, his personal opinion, set out in social networks, which is not related to the advocate’s advocacy.

“My page is not an official profile. And my status was not related to my lawyer activity or any client,” Sadigov notes.

In his opinion, Usubov illegally interferes with his freedom of expression, and applies censorship.

These methods are consistently used to intimidate lawyers and deter them from performing their functions.

Such actions of the First Deputy Prosecutor General pursue the goal of subordinating the Bar to this body, forcing an atmosphere of fear in the country.

Such actions committed by Usubov against the backdrop of changes in the country have recently discredited Azerbaijan in the eyes of the world community, creating problems in the country's cooperation with reputable international organizations.

Sadigov asks to objectively investigate Usubov’s illegal steps against him, to take measures to prevent such things from happening again.

It was not possible to get comments from the Prosecutor General’s office or the Bar. –21B-