IRFS calls on Azerbaijani authorities to release Rasul Jafarov immediately

The Azerbaijani Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has called on the government of Azerbaijan to release Rasul Jafarov and clear him from all charges against him. Rasul Jafarov, a human rights defender and a coordinator of the campaign "Art for Democracy", was arrested on August 2. Besides, the IRFS demands to stop the criminal proceedings against other civil society activists. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in July, Rasul Jafarov was banned from leaving Azerbaijan, and his bank accounts were arrested. On July 31, the human rights defender was questioned as a witness in the case against a number of NGOs, and his apartment was searched. On August 2, Khalid Bagirov, an advocate of the human rights defender, reported on the detention of Rasul Jafarov, and the SMS-service of the "Caucasian Knot" received the information about the arrest of Rasul Jafarov. The court has pronounced the decision to take the human rights defender in custody for three months.

In the evening of August 2, the IRFS disseminated a statement claiming that "arbitrary arrests and detentions of well-known human rights defenders Leila Yunus (on Thursday, on July 30) and Rasul Jafarov (today, on August 2) represent attempts to silence critical voices and divert attention from the ongoing human rights violations."