Ismajlov: Deputy Interior Ministry promised to punish investigators who threatened me

Vilayat Eivazov, the deputy head of the MIA of Azerbaijan, met the lawyer Aslan Ismajlov, who had reported threats and physical pressure from investigators. He promised to study the situation and punish those guilty, the lawyer himself said today. In the opinion of Orkhan Mansurzade from the press service of the MIA, none of the investigators had ever beaten Ismajlov; he just wants to attract attention.

According to Ismajlov, on May 30, at about 5:00 p.m., he was summoned to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (known as GUBOP) of the MIA. There, according to the lawyer, one of the investigators began insulting and threatening him, and then hit him; while another officer of the GUBOP told Ismajlov that this was a warning, and she should not mention the name of the MIA boss Ramil Usubov in his speeches.

The meeting of Ismajlov and Eivazov took place at about 5:00 p.m.; and Vilayat Eivazov told the lawyer that he was sorry about what happened, as Aslan Ismajlov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Orkhan Mansurzade, a source from the MIA's press service, Ismajlov was called to the GUBOP in connection with his "false statements" about the criminal case against Rashad Ramazanov (Agaaddin). Mr Mansurzade has categorically refuted the lawyer's words that the investigator had hit him; he is sure that Ismajlov has deliberately "raised a fuss."

Rashad Agaaddin, an active critic of the authorities on the Internet, was detained on May 9 in Baku. According to investigators, at detention 9 grams of heroin was found on him. Agaaddin was arrested for three months. According to Aslan Ismajlov, Agaaddin is tortured at the GUBOP. The press service of the MIA denied these allegations.