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2021-11-13 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
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Azerbaijani opposition leader Rzayev claims torture in isolation ward
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 Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Oppositionist Malik Rzayev, accused of drug trafficking, said that he was tortured after his arrest. Rzayev's complaint about torture was forwarded to the Sumgait prosecutor's office, the lawyer said.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the lawyer of Malik Rzayev, accused of drug trafficking, said on November 5 that he could not get a meeting with his client. Rzayev's relatives do not agree with the accusations and believe that the real reason for the arrest is his criticism of the Azerbaijani authorities.
Continued from Page 2
Rzayev's defender and activists expressed concern that torture may be the reason for the refusal to see the accused .
Azerbaijani investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli living in Germany received information from Rzayev's relatives in Azerbaijan that the activist was tortured by security forces. Mukhtarli told about this to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
"Malik Rzayev was detained on October 25 in the Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev settlement of Sumgait by people in civilian clothes. They demanded that Malik Rzayev testify that the drugs in the bag belonged to him. When he refused, they began to spread his legs in a split and stand on him in this position. I bought drugs from a certain Rauf, who is now dead," Mukhtarli said from the words of the activist's relatives.
He claims that the lawyer was allowed to see Rzayev only two weeks later, "when the traces of violence disappeared."
Rzayev's lawyer Nemat Karimli confirmed that on November 10 he was able to meet with Rzayev.
"Despite the fact that I submitted a warrant to the investigator on November 1, I was allowed to see Rzayev only on the 10th," Karimli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
The defender stated about the violation of Rzayev's rights and physical pressure on him. "In the period from October 30 to November 10, Rzayev was twice illegally transferred [from one isolation ward to another]. As a lawyer, I was not provided with any information about this," Karimli said.
According to him, Rzayev told him about "sophisticated torture."
"Malik Rzayev was brutally beaten, his legs were parted into twine, he was threatened with rape with a foreign object. Under such pressure, he was forced to testify about the alleged discovery of drugs on him," the lawyer says.
According to the investigation, the defender continued, drugs were found in Rzayev's possession, but he denies the charges and considers them fabricated.
The lawyer indicated that Rzayev was charged under Article 234.4.3 (drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, under which he could face five to twelve years in prison. He clarified that Rzayev was detained on October 25, and on October 27 the court chose a measure of restraint in the form of arrest for a period of four months.
"The investigation was conducted with violations from the very beginning. We will file a petition to change the measure of restraint to house arrest. I have already written a complaint to the Sumgait city prosecutor's office in connection with Rzayev's torture statement. We ask the prosecutor's office to investigate the fact of torture," Karimli said.
He pointed to the similarity of the charges against Rzayev and the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Mutallim Orudzhev.
"These cases were written like a blueprint - almost simultaneous arrest, the same charges, sophisticated torture. And the link is that both were in political emigration in Germany, and were almost simultaneously deported from there," Karimli said.
Mutallim Orudzhev was detained on October 23. He was prosecuted under Article 234.4.3 (drug trafficking on a large scale) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. The court arrested the activist.
The head of the PFPA press service Natig Adilov said that Orudzhev left for Germany several years ago and continued his political activities there, but this year he was deported back to Azerbaijan.
The Baku Court of Appeal on November 3 did not satisfy the complaint about the arrest of Orudzhev, the activist himself rejected the charge of drug trafficking in court, claiming that he had confessed under torture.
Tezakhan Miralamli, a member of the NGO "Line of Defense", considered the charges against Rzayev and Orudzhev politically motivated.
"These people actively participated in protest actions in Germany in defense of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. If they are really suspected of criminal offenses, then why are lawyers not allowed to them in a timely manner. In general, drug charges are most common for prosecuting critics of the government in Azerbaijan," Miralamli said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
In turn, the head of the media and public relations department of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Elshad Hajiyev denied allegations of torture of the activist.
"These allegations are completely unfounded and are methods of pressure on the investigation," Hajiyev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
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Posted by badanov 2021-11-13 00:00||
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