AI claims political nature of arrest of young activists in Azerbaijan

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has condemned the arrest of Ibragimov and Mamedov, who were detained after the appearance of graffiti on the monument to Geidar Aliev in Baku.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 12, Bairam Mamedov, a 21-year-old activist of the movement "Nida", and Giyas (Giyaseddin) Ibragimov, a 22-year-old Facebook user, were arrested in connection with the charge of drug trafficking on a large scale.

"The charges against the young people are far-fetched and politically motivated," claims the statement posted on the AI's website.

The AI has also expressed the need for "an independent medical examination of injuries inflicted to the young people at the police station".

The human rights defenders have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations voiced by the young people and the facts of their maltreatment.

Earlier, the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) and the "Freedom House" have called on to release Mamedov and Ibragimov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.