Azerbaijan: leader of "ReAl" charged with organizing mass disorders

Today, investigators have accused Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the civil movement "Republican Alternative" (ReAl), arrested in connection with the events in the city of Ismailly, of organizing mass disturbances, accompanied by violence and pogroms.

On May 1, investigators informed Ilgar Mamedov about removal of charges against him under Article 233 and presentation of new charges under Article 220.1, which assumes a more severe punishment - up to 12 years in prison. Earlier, the sum of two articles threatened Mamedov with the maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison.

Fuad Agaev, Ilgar Mamedov's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the new accusation was unjustified.

"Ilgar Mamedov could not organize the spontaneously events, provoked by the road accident, committed by the manager of the "Chirag" Hotel in Ismailly, and his insults addressed to local residents. Moreover, Ilgar Mamedov visited Ismailly for a short time on the following day after the riots. As a politician, he has the right to visit the regions and communicate with protesters," said the lawyer.

According to his story, the criminal case against Mamedov "is completely politically motivated."

"Over the past three months, in fact no investigatory actions against Ilgar Mamedov have been conducted. By flagrantly suppressing the rights of the well-known politician and a presidential candidate, the authorities are trying to demonstrate their power. By these actions on the year of the presidential election they try to show that they can convict any oppositionist on trumped up charges and seek to intimidate the society," said the lawyer.

The presentation of the new charge, in his opinion, is the "challenge to the world community."

"The new, more serious charge was put forward to Ilgar Mamedov after it became known that the European Court of Human Rights has accepted the complaint of the 'ReAl' leader about his unlawful arrest to consideration out of the queue. Prior to this, high-ranking officials of the Council of Europe and the European Union called on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop the prosecution of Ilgar Mamedov," said the lawyer Agaev.