Lawyer Bagirov: authorities behave disingenuously with Mamedov

In Azerbaijan, Hilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Tolyshi Sado", who is kept under arrest, has released two statements. Firstly, he praised the incumbent president Ilham Aliev for his activities; and in his second statement disseminated today through his advocate Mamedov has explained the reasons for his first statement: he did it in the name of reconciliation in the society. Mamedov added that he had not given up his principles.

Hilal Mamedov is accused of treason, inciting interethnic hatred and illegal possession of drugs. The final speech of the prosecutor is scheduled for September 4.

Mamedov's first statement was posted on the website "azvizion.az" on August 28. It was distributed by the pro-governmental media of Azerbaijan and presented as an act of support by the inmate of Ilham Aliev at the upcoming presidential election.

On August 29, Mamedov's advocate issued his new statement, where the inmate reported that had been visited at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) by certain officials who promised to release him and other political prisoners in the next 5-6 days.

The lawyer Khalid Bagirov believes that the authorities acted insincerely in relation to Mamedov. "He was promised that his appeal will be sent only to the president, but it got into the media," he told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He thinks that Mamedov's statements will not influence the court's decision in his case.

Oktay Gyulalyev, the coordinator of the Civil Society "Kura" and the head of the public alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners", and Arzu Abdullaeva, the head of the Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, doubt that inmates make such statements on the voluntarily basis. They called it unethical to use inmates for one's electoral purposes.