Azerbaijan: advocate claims being not allowed by police to visit arrested activist Tofig Gasymov

Tofig Gasymov, a member of the NGO "Promoting Democracy", who was arrested in the Salyan District of Azerbaijan, is not allowed to be visited by his advocate. This was reported by Alaif Gasanov, the very activist's advocate in court.

Tofig Gasymov was sentenced on April 4. The Salyan District Court of Azerbaijan found him guilty of "minor hooliganism" and sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest.

According to Emil Mamedov, the head of the NGO "Promoting Democracy", at the time of detention of Tofig Gasymov, there were no free independent advocates in the city, and thus, the activist was left without effective legal protection.

"We addressed advocates from Baku for help. However, the number of independent advocates in the capital is also not very big, and all of them are busy defending numerous political prisoners. Only today, advocate Alaif Gasanov managed to arrive in Salyan. However, he was not allowed to visit Tofig Gasymov," Emil Mamedov has said.

Alaif Gasanov has noted that he will file a complaint to the leaders of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the General Prosecutor of Azerbaijan against "unlawful actions" of the Salyan District Police Department.

In his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, Emil Mamedov has explained that activists of the NGO "Promoting Democracy" are being prosecuted for their civic activities and "criticism of the negative phenomena in the district." However, Zeinal Veliev, an inspector of the Salyan District Police Department, has denied the claims of political motives of the Tofig Gasymov's arrest.