The lawyer considers it illegal to place an activist of the Musavat party in a narcological dispensary

Baku/20.05.21/Turan: On May 19, at a meeting with Azerbaijani Human Rights Ombudsman (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva, lawyer Nemat Karimli announced that the arrest and then sending for compulsory treatment to a narcological clinic of his clients, an activist of the Musavat party Nizamali Suleymanov and his relative Akif Suleymanov is illegal.

The lawyer told Turan that he reminded the Ombudsman of the torture against the activists of the Musavat party Tofig Yagublu and Mustave Hajili, which was personally committed by the Surakhani district police chief Suleiman Nematov, in 2011, when he was the deputy head of the Nasimi district. In relation to them, there is a decision of the European Court regarding violation of Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights. However, so far, local courts have not reviewed these cases. According to him, Suleiman Nematov is now continuing his actions in the Surakhani region.

Nemat Karimli said that the persecution of Nizamali and Akif Suleimanov began after Suleiman Nematov was appointed chief of police.

“On February 14, 2021, Nizamali Suleimanov held a meeting of the Musavat party cell at the Zeitun state farm in the Hovsany village of the Surakhani district. After the meeting, Nizamali went out into the street to see off his guests and was detained by three persons in civilian clothes and police officers who arrived in three cars. He was accused of violating the quarantine regime. More than 20 police officers, violating his property rights, entered his courtyard, filmed by telephone, entered the meeting room, opened the safe, conducted an illegal search, and collected cigarette butts from the dustbin. Then Nizamali Suleimanov, his nephew Akif Suleimanov and their three friends were taken to the 30th police station, where they formalized the meeting as a violation of the quarantine regime. Nizamali and Akif Suleimanov, at a meeting with me at the narcological dispensary, reported that on that day, at about 6 am, several more people were accommodated at their place of detention, who allegedly also violated the quarantine regime. They started smoking something and by the smell we realized that it was not a cigarette. Surely the police, not finding anything in the butts of cigarettes, took such a step. At about 10 o'clock in the morning, a narcological examination was carried out at the Republican Narcological Center and the results of the examination were issued to them, indicating that marijuana was allegedly found in their analyzes. They were kept in the police department for 16 hours and then released, whereas according to the law, with a few exceptions, they could not be held for more than 3 hours, ”the lawyer said.

At the trial on April 5, chaired by the judge of the Surakhani district of Baku, Elnur Nuriyev, they were subjected to administrative arrest for a period of 20 days. They were accused of using psychotropic substances. After the completion of the administrative arrest, they were forcibly placed in a narcological dispensary. Nizamali Suleimanov stated that the court's decision is related to his political activities.

 “They threatened me with various methods and demanded to leave the Musavat party. I am being punished for refusing,” he said.

Official structures, including the Office of the Ombudsman, have not yet expressed their position on the arrest and placement of Musavat party activists in a drug treatment clinic. -03-