Azerbaijani opposition member denied appeal, sentenced to 30 days, claims was beaten during arrest
One of the leaders of the Azerbaijani opposition, Tofig Yagublu, is in prison on administrative arrest.
He received a 30-day sentence after the opposition rally on October 19. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal and upheld the sentence. The opposition member said that he was beaten during detention.
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Why was Yaqublu arrested
An unauthorized opposition rally organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) was supposed to be held in Baku on October 19.
The police forcefully stopped the rally, detaining about a hundred people. Many detainees received various administrative prison terms. Among them was Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces coordination center and a Musavat party activist.
After the arrest, the police severely beat Yaqubli and injured his rib, demanding he say on camera that he was stopping his political struggle – this was reported by the daughter of Tofig Yagublu and his lawyer.
The son-in-law of Tofig Yagublu, activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Seymour Hazi, was arrested two days before the rally. He was accused of petty hooliganism. Moreover, he was initially sentenced to 15 days, and then extended to 30 days.
Both Yagublu and Hazi have served several years in the past on various charges and have been recognized as political prisoners by international institutions.
Companions of the opposition member, many journalists and local human rights organizations consider the current arrests and terms also politically motivated.
The next NCDF rally is scheduled for November 10.
