Azerbaijan: Tofig Gasymov, activist of NGO "Promoting Democracy" sentenced to ten days of administrative arrest

In the Salyan District of Azerbaijan, on charges of "hooliganism", Tofig Gasymov, 25, an activist of the NGO "Promoting Democracy", was sentenced to ten days of administrative arrest. Emil Mamedov, the head of the NGO, believes that the arrest was politically motivated, but local authorities, in their turn, deny any political pressure on civil society activists.

"Tofig Gasymov is engaged in public advocacy. He actively helps residents of district villages to protect their rights and provides them with legal assistance. On April 4, he was detained in Salyan right in the street, when he was loudly discussing with his acquaintance some socio-political topic on which their positions did not coincide. They were taken to the police," Emil Mamedov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, the district authorities want to use Gasymov arrest for falsifying a criminal case against him, the leader of the "Promoting Democracy".

"I'm engaged in public activities for many years and was subjected to pressure on many occasions. But under the current district chief executive Takhir Kerimov, the pressure has intensified; the bureaucrat has more than once publicly called to punish me," said Mamedov and added that in his publications in local press he repeatedly draw public attention to embezzlement of state budget funds by district officials.

Zaman Amirov, the assistant of the chief executive of the Salyan District, has treated Mamedov's critical statements as a lie.