31 March 2019, 10:54
Court rules to arrest activist Bairam Mamedov for 30 days
Bairam Mamedov, a member of the "Nida" movement, was arrested for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police. Activists have treated his arrest as pressure on Mamedov after his pardoning.
Bairam Mamedov was detained in Baku on March 30, when he was walking along the street with his father. The father, Farman Mamedov, said that his son was detained without any explanations and taken to the police station.
In October 2016, Bairam Mamedov, along with like-minded Giyas Ibragimov, was sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of drug dealing. Activists then treated the verdict to Mamedov and Ibragimov as revenge for the graffiti on the pedestal of the monument to Geidar Aliev in the form of inscriptions: "Qul bayramınız mübarək!" (Congratulations on slaves' holiday!) and "F ... k the system!" On March 16, 2019, by an order of the President of Azerbaijan, both activists were pardoned.
According to Samir Asadli, the coordinator of the "Nida" movement, the Sabunchi District Court has sentenced Bairam to 30 days of administrative arrest, finding him guilty under Article 535.1 of the Azerbaijani Administrative Code (disobeying policemen's lawful demands). This is an absolutely trumped-up accusation," Mr Asadli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
He believes that the arrest may have to do with the criticism of the authorities. "Literally on the eve, in an interview with mass media, Bairam criticized the prison system and said that, knowing the consequences, he could once again go to the monument (to Geidar Aliev). This could have triggered his arrest," Samir Asadli has suggested.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 30, 2019 at 09:28 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
