The court left three participants of a youth meeting in Baku in custody

On March, 21, the Appellate court of Baku (ACB) left in custody three participants of a youth action of protest held on March, 17, in Baku who were sentenced to administrative arrests.

It should be reminded that the action of protest in Baku authorized by the authorities passed off in a square of the settlement of Bailovo on March, 17. After rapper Jamal Ali started shouting out offences to President Ilham Aliev, three participants of the action were detained. In the evening of March, 17, the court sentenced Jamal Ali to 10 days of arrest, guitarist Natig Kamilov to 6 days of arrest and blogger Etibar Salmanov, activist of youth movement “Nida” (“Exclamation”) to 5 days of arrest. They were acknowledged guilty according to clause 296 of the Code of administrative violations (disorderly conduct).

On March, 21, all the appeals of the arrested young men were considered by ACB individually.

During the trial rapper Ali offered his apologies for the swear words in his speech at the meeting of March, 17. At the same time, he told the court that he was beaten up by the personnel of law enforcement bodies during detention.

The Appellate court of Baku brought a standing judgment on the verdicts of the first instance court.

At the trial the arrested young men’s attorney Anar Gasymov declared that Ali’s  actions at the meeting were unintended. ”After an unethical phrase in a song a debate emerged among those present in the tribunes. Jamal Ali’s microphone was open, therefore his swear words could be heard in every place of the square. Besides, I ask you to take into consideration Ali’s personality”, Gasymov said. 

Ali himself confirmed that he was beaten up in the police department. “I declared in Sabaiyl district court that I was beaten up. After that the police personnel beat me up again. I said that they would beat me once more. On March, 19, they were beating me for two hours in Sabaiyl police department. They were beating me with a club on my heels. I am not a criminal. The penalty I got went beyond legal boundaries. I ask you to release me”, Ali said.

He also pointed out that Salmanov and Kamilov were arrested unlawfully. “I was arrested for swear words and what about them? They did not swear”, the rapper said.

Press service of the Ministry of Interior Affairs deny the fact of using violence against Ali and other participants of the action.