03 January 2019, 20:57
Baku police break up rally in support of Mekhman Guseinov
Four journalists and other activists have been detained today in Baku for holding a rally in support of the blogger Mekhman Guseinov; the police stopped the action five minutes after the start thereof. Still, it was a success, as many passersby managed to pay attention to it, the participants of the event believe.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 26, the blogger Mekhman Guseinov announced a dry hunger strike in an Azerbaijani colony after he was made a figurant of a new criminal case initiated against him two months before the end of his prison term. On December 30, Guseinov, after being transferred to the SIZO (pre-trial prison), began drinking water.
On March 3, 2017, Mekhman Guseinov was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of slander, because he had declared torture after his detention. On December 26, the country's Penitentiary Service stated that two months before the end of his prison term, Guseinov was trying to prevent a search and beat up a prison employee. Human rights defenders believe that a new case has been brought against Guseinov out of revenge for his statements.
The action in support of Mekhman Guseinov began at about 4:00 p.m. Baku time near the "Neftchilar" metro station in the Nizami District of Baku. The participants of the action chanted: "Freedom!", "Freedom to Mekhman!" and "Freedom to political prisoners!"
Five minutes after the start of the action, the police stopped it and began detaining its participants.
"Some 15-20 people participated in the action, including activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). About 10 of them were detained; there are journalists among them," Ramin Deko, a freelance journalist, who was watching the protest action, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 3, 2019 at 05:12 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
