In Azerbaijan, BCA leaves activist Murad Adilov in custody

The Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) has dismissed the appeal filed against arrest of Murad Adilov, an activist of the Sabirabad regional branch of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA). The defence intends to lodge a new motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure to house arrest and file a complaint about torture to the court.

"My client is not going to hide from investigators, since he does not consider himself guilty. And while at liberty, he cannot exert pressure on witnesses, since the witnesses are policemen themselves," advocate Yalcin Imanov has explained.

"Last week we filed a motion to the Narimanov District Court of Baku requesting to appoint a forensic medical examination in connection with use of torture against Murad Adilov. At the Sabirabad district police station, where Murad Adilov had been brought after the detention, he was beaten with a blunt metal object," the advocate has stated.

"However, the Court delays the consideration of our motion. We will use this fact in the future when we file a complaint to the Strasbourg Court about the violation against Murad Adilov of the Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms on the prohibition of torture," the advocate has said.

Natiq Adilov, a brother of Murad Adilov, who writes articles under the pseudonym of Natiq Gyulakhmedoglu, is well-known for his harsh criticism of the authorities in the media and on the social network "Facebook". Besides, he is a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and a staff member of the PFPA.