In Baku, "NIDA" activist arrested for 10 days for spreading leaflets

In Azerbaijan, Anar Geraily, the activist of the civil movement "NIDA" and the correspondent of the website "gunxeber.com", was arrested for 10 days on charges of violating public order and disobeying police.

Anar Geraily was arrested on May 22 near the metro station "May 28", when he was distributing leaflets of the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch". The leaflets contained the map of Baku with indication of places with registered violations of human rights, in particular, mass movement of citizens, whose houses were demolished for urban development and construction of infrastructure projects. The leaflets were prepared to the song contest "Eurovision 2012". Besides, Anar Geraily stuck posters devoted to the topic of human rights. Meanwhile, the young man was dressed in a white T-shirt with inscription "Sing for Democracy".

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Uzeir Mamedli, the member of the Board of the civil movement "NIDA", that after detention of Anar Geraily, no information about his whereabouts was available during more than two days. Today, parents of the detainee contacted the police, and they were told that the young man was sentenced to 10-day administrative arrest under Article 306 of the Administrative Code (violation of public order combined with disobedience to police).

According to fUzeir Mamedli, on May 23, Anar Geraily was sentenced by the Nasimi District Court without a lawyer.

The civil movement "NIDA" treated the Anar Geraily's arrest as "a flagrant violation of freedom of expression and citizens' rights to effective legal protection," Uzeir Mamedli stated.

Orkhan Mansurzade, the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), confirmed the activist's arrest; however, he refused to comment.