A blogger is being tried in Baku

17.00, 10.01.2017

Mehman Huseynov imposed a fine for disobeying police order.

Here’s what Mehman Huseynov told about his arrest:

“I parted with my friends and as I walked some 10 meters, I was attacked by 8 men, who put a sack on my head and stuffed something into my mouth, so that I couldn’t even breathe. I was shoved into the car and twisted, making me duck my head to the knees.

I don’t know where exactly I was taken, but I was paralyzed, with almost no chance either to breathe or move, with a sack on my head, for nearly three hours. I was brought to Nasimi police department, to the Deputy Chief. I was removed the sack from my head, and when I realized where I was, I fell down on the floor.

I was lying on the floor in a semiconscious condition, while they were reprimanding me for wrongdoing, obviously referring to my activity. Then they raised my hand and somehow made me sign the protocol. Then they took me to cell and called an ambulance. I was made two injections-an analgesic and a sedative. I slept till the morning.  Then they woke me up, saying we were going to court. No one took my testimony.”

Mehram says, before the court, he had spent 4 hours in the sergeants’ company, whom he communicated with quite peacefully. However, when the trial began, they testified against him, claiming he had picked a fight with them the day before. “Fortunately, the judge hadn’t lost his humanity, he even laughed at them,” says the blogger. Finally, the court imposed a AZN200 fine on him. Mehman says, he is not going to pay it.

10.01.2017

Mehman Guseynov disappeared yesterday only to be found in the Nasiman district court today. He’s being accused of disobeying police, his lawyer Elchin Sadygov says. The trial is to start at 3 a.m.

09.01.2017

Mehman Huseynov, a renowned blogger, has gone missing in Baku. He is known for sharp criticism of country’s leadership on his FB page ‘Sancaq’. Yesterday, he was reportedly with his friends until 8 p.m., and later was due to meet his colleague, but he didn’t show up for the meeting. A search throughout the police stations didn’t yield any result. The police accepted Huseynov missing report.

Ulvi Hasanly, the blogger’s friend, claims, there are witnesses who saw, how 5 persons in civvies grabbed Mehman and shoved him into the car.

Shortly before the incident, Huseynov had published a couple of videos and photos featuring Azerbaijani MPs’ villas. In this video he demonstrated the ongoing construction of a villa, which, as he believed, belonged to the Minister of Labor and Social Protection.

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• Earlier, the blogger already had some problems with the police. In 2012, he was accused of hooliganism and was even facing criminal proceedings.
• In 2015, the blogger claimed, he was refused to be issued an ID card due to his criticism of country’s leadership.
• In 2013, he was arrested as he attempted to leave the country and he was interrogated for several hours.

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