Azerbaijan has seen 26 more political prisoners in the past two months, bringing the total to 357
Number of political prisoners surges in Azerbaijan
The Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published an updated list of political prisoners, now numbering 357. Compared to the previous list from 12 December last year, the number has increased by 26.
Among them are journalists, including Toplum TV employees Farid Ismayilov and Shahnaz Beylargyzy, as well as Shamshad Agayev, arrested in connection with the Meydan TV case. The list also includes 13 people detained during the unrest in Imishli on 18 January, among others.
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According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on January 18 at 12:30 p.m., a State Road Police vehicle struck children on the roadside of Abbasgulu Shadlinsky Street in the city of Imishli after being unexpectedly cut off by another car. As a result, two children died, while the other children and the driver were taken to the hospital.
A criminal case has been opened, and the incident is being investigated by the police and the prosecutor’s office.
The press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office also confirmed the information. “A criminal case has been initiated under Article 263.3 of the Criminal Code (violation of traffic rules and vehicle operation resulting in the negligent death of two people), and a preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Imishli District Prosecutor’s Office,” the statement said.
According to TƏBİB (the Management of Regional Medical Units), three injured children and the police vehicle driver were evacuated to the Central Hospital of Imishli with varying degrees of injuries, with one in critical condition.
“Individuals born in 1992 and 2015 have been preliminarily diagnosed with closed craniocerebral trauma and received emergency medical care. They are currently being treated in the intensive care unit, and their condition is assessed as severe,” TƏBİB reported.
Outraged by the incident, local residents staged a protest and overturned a traffic police car.
“A group of individuals has been arrested in the Imishli district for committing hooligan acts in a public place,” the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry stated.
According to the ministry, “The defendants in the ongoing criminal case have been provided with lawyers, and all legal measures are being taken to ensure an objective investigation.”
However, the Interior Ministry did not disclose the number of detainees or their identities.
Nevertheless, a photo released by the ministry shows nine detained individuals.
“I demand that the person who killed my daughter be punished,” said Taleh Mammadov, the father of Ayan Mammadova, one of the children who died in the accident.
Taleh Mammadov told Radio Liberty that the internet in the district was cut off until the bodies of the deceased children were handed over to their families:
“The funeral took place at night—we didn’t wait until morning and buried the child that same night. My daughter was such a good student that all her teachers were pleased with her. She used to say, ‘Dad, I will become a doctor.’ But she broke me and left forever.
Everyone is trying to comfort me, but my child is under the black earth. I only want one thing—for the guilty to be punished. Representatives from various agencies came to us and promised that those responsible would be held accountable.”
Number of political prisoners surges in Azerbaijan
