Appeal to Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe

From: Dr. Hilal Mammadov – the Chief-Editor of “Tolyshi Sado” newspaper, detainee in the pre-trial jail in Baku

Dear Sir and Madams! 

It is more than three (3) months that I am jailed without any legal and moral ground and all the court sessions related to my case  are held without public and press. 

As it is known, I was savagely beaten by a group of thugs on June 21, 2012 (later it became known that they were policemen) had planted drugs into my pocket in a demonstrative manner and then was arrested. 

Surely, in no part of the world would a professor, scientist, human right activist and journalist be subjected to such disgraceful and violent treatment. Starting from the first day of my detention when the authorities realized that they were disgraced in the world with their false action they started to file against me after 12 days of my detention two additional falsified criminal cases -  “high treason and incitement of ethnic conflict”. 

Despite of signature of note by my lawyer about “maintaining information of investigation process in confidentiality” after submission of this “full of mysteries materials” to me and to my lawyers the investigation officers declared the so-called confidential materials to official mass-media of the country in the much exaggerated form just on the day after of it. 

At time when investigation process was newly started the authorities (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Prosecutor of the Republic) called me as a criminal without any court decision, and introduced me to the public in a way as if my crime had already been proved, which means that they have seriously violated my right to presumption of innocence by demonstrating their opinion on content and direction of the investigation in advance and defining the future task for the investigation group.

Frankly speaking, I didn’t know that my known comment on the famous YouTube video “Who are you, come on, go away!” created by me in internet site which is a very famous in Russia related to Eurovision would make the government of Azerbaijan so angry. Because of that comment, they are mercilessly   taking revenge on me… Keeping the court session fully confidential in a closed court session; not allowing me to meet or to have telephone conversations with my family members during these three months and many other cases must be understood as a torture, inhumane treatment and humiliation of dignity against me.   

Dear Sirs and Madams!  

Hereby I am asking for your moral support in fighting against the authorities’  open oppression, unlawfulness  and actions taken to destroy my personality. 

I would like to remind you that till the last day of my detention I was the Chairman of the Committee for protection of the former Editor-in-Chief of “Tolyshi Sado” newspaper, professor Novruzali Mammadov who was also absurdly and groundlessly arrested in February of 2007 and unknowingly killed in the jail on August 17 of 2009, besides I was the Head of Committee on protection and rehabilitation of the rights of other political prisoners.

I kindly ask you to make an appeal to the head of our country with the demand of holding open court sessions. I am calling to the all local human rights activists to gather in front of court building and protest in case the court is held without public and press.

I am inviting all other democratic, brave and fearless lawyers in Azerbaijan to come voluntarily to support my rights as I want their participation in open demonstration to the world the disgraceful details of the court sessions held with public and press excluded.

Today, all other prisoners of conscience and political prisoners together with me, are looking forward to your moral support. Please, unite to support our voices.

Yours faithfully,

Hilal Mammadov 

Detainee in pre-trial jail in Baku