The Court of Appeal has remanded Mohaddin Orujev in custody

Baku/22.12.23/Turan: Today, the Baku Court of Appeal today rejected a complaint against the arrest of public activist Mohaddin Orujev. On December 15, Orujev was arrested for four months on charges of large-scale drug trafficking.  In October, Orujev was arrested for 30 days, and after being released, he made public the facts of physical and moral pressure on him in the police.  It was for this that he was arrested again, Orujev himself believes. During the court session, the activist also complained about the deprivation of his right to make phone calls, lawyer Nazim Musayev told reporters. According to him, this restriction can only be imposed by an investigative body. However, the investigator told the lawyer that he had not made such a decision. Nevertheless, in the pre-trial detention center, Orujev was told about the restriction of his rights.

The lawyer intends to visit the pre-trial detention center and look into the reasons for Orujev's deprivation of telephone conversations on the spot.  The mother of activist Taran Orujev confirmed to reporters that her son had never called after his detention.

"The only time we managed to talk to him was on December 15, when he was taken out of court," the mother complained. The son managed to report that he was threatened by the arrest of his mother and the "discovery" of a large batch of drugs at their home, therefore, he was forced to confess. M. Orujev is among the 12 activists and journalists arrested over the past month. International structures, including the European Union and the US State Department, called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release them. –06B-