Former Azerbaijani political prisoner allowed into Georgia after delay
Qiyas Ibrahimov was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case dating back to 2016 for alleged drug dealing.
Immediately before the arrest, Ibrahimov and Bayram Mammadov wrote an anti-government slogan on the pedestal of a monument to Heydar Aliyev, the former president of Azerbaijan and the father of the current president.
Amnesty International recognized Ibrahimov and Mammadov prisoners of conscience. In Azerbaijan, they are called “prisoners of the monument.”
On March 16, 2019, Giyas and Bayram were released as part of a pardon of 399 people, among whom there were about 50 political prisoners.
On March 30, Bayram was again detained and sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest, accused of disobeying a police order.
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On May 16, Qiyas Ibrahimov decided to leave for Georgia with his former cellmates – former political prisoners Vugar Bayramov and Ilkin Rustamzade. But Ibrahimov was not immediately allowed to pass through the Azerbaijani border because his name is on the list of military conscripts.
Qiyas’ mother, Shura Amiraslanova, after a long effort, was able to get an appointment with the military commissar.
As a result, they figured out that according to Azerbaijani law, people convicted of serious crimes are not recruited into the army.
They also found out that Qiyas received official deferment from the army, a military ID and, on that basis, a passport.
Officials later reported an “error in the electronic system.”
As a result, all three activists are already in Georgia.
