"Musavat" activist arrested for 30 days

A court in Baku has arrested Elman Guliev, the head of the youth organization of the "Musavat" Party, who was detained on July 29 during a protest against the criminal prosecution of Azad Gasanov. The rest of the detainees have been released.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Azad Gasanov, a political emigrant, was arrested on October 12, 2018, after returning to Azerbaijan from Lithuania. He has stated that he had agreed with the accusation of illegal drug dealing under the threat of torture. On July 22, 2019, Gasanov announced a hunger strike in protest of the delay of his trial; however, on July 29, the court session was again postponed.

On July 29, 10 activists tried holding a march in the Central Park of Baku, holding posters with a portrait of Azad Gasanov, a member of the "Musavat" Party. Policemen dispersed the action and detained its participants.

Osman Kyazimov, an advocate, has confirmed the information about Guliev's arrest.

According to his version, Guliev asked the court to watch the video of the action, which would confirm that he had not committed any illegal actions. "However, the court rejected the petition and sentenced Guliev to 30 days of arrest, after finding him guilty under Article 535.1 (disobedience to a policeman's lawful demands) of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The policemen, who detained Guliev, testified against him," said the advocate.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 29, 2019 at 09:18 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.