2024-04-01 14:47:46
On March 19, the Goygol District Court, presided over by judge Ayyub Karimov, ordered a 4-month preventive measure against Sahib Mammadzadeh, the head of the Dashkasan district branch of the Azerbaijan Democratic Front Party (APF). A criminal case was filed against him under Article 234.4.3 of the Criminal Code (Illegal preparation, production, acquisition, storage, transportation, shipment or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their precursors – in large quantities).
Lawyer Zabil Kahramanov told Voice of America about this.
According to him, Sahib Mammadzade did not accept the accusation in court.
The lawyer said that he will file an appeal against the decision of the Goygol District Court on preventive detention.
According to Kahramanov, Mammadzade has already been transferred to Investigation Detention Center No. 2 in Ganja.
On March 18, Sahib Mammadzade was detained by the police when he was taking his cattle to the steppe in Dashkesan district.
Mammadzade’s sister Tajira Mammadzade, who was with him when he was detained, told Voice of America that the KAMAZ truck they were in was stopped by the police at the entrance to the city of Dashkasan.
“We used to take our cattle, that is, our migration, to Khoshbulag village to the steppe. At that time, the police stopped the KAMAZ truck carrying our migration. My brother got suspicious and gave me his phone so I could film what happened. Police arrived there in three cars. Three people jumped on me, the rest jumped on Sahib. They took the owner into the car. They beat me, demanded the phone code. I didn’t say the phone code. Also, I could not shoot. They took the phone. They hit me on the head and on different parts of my body. I still have bruises all over my body,” he said.
PFLP said that Mammadzadeh was detained in connection with his political activities.
Ali Karimli, chairman of the People’s Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, wrote on his Facebook page that those who violently detained Sahib Mammadzadeh and took him to an unknown direction are “power or repression agencies of the state”.
“Our current task today is to demand the freedom of Sahib Mammadzadeh and all political prisoners, including Tofig Yagublu,” he said.
PFLP says that 11 activists of this party are currently in prison. According to the information, activists of the People’s Democratic Party of Azerbaijan Shahin Hajiyev, Elkhan Aliyev, Zamin Salayev, Niyameddin Ahmadov, Punhan Karimli, Mutallim Orujov, Agil Humbatov, Razi Alishov, Elbeyi Karimov, Elnur Hasanov and Sahib Mammadzade are in prison.
At the same time, official Baku states that there are no political prisoners in the country, does not accept criticism in this area and considers it biased. State officials, as a rule, declare that people are equal before the law and are not persecuted according to their will.
Voice of America