Police recognize rights defender Nasibov beaten up in Nakhichevan as victim

Two weeks after the incident in Nakhichevan with rights defender Ilgar Nasibov, the MIA has opened a criminal case and recognized him as a victim. Nasibov believes that investigators qualify the attack on him by a too soft article.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 21 a group of unidentified persons attacked in Nakhichevan the office of the Resource Centre for NGO and Democracy Development. Nasibov, an employee of the Centre was severely beaten during the attack. In grave condition he was taken to the intensive care unit.

Today, Nasibov was invited to the police department of the city of Nakhichevan, where he evidenced for two hours, as he later told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"They told me that I was recognized as a victim; and a criminal case was opened under Article 127.1 of the Criminal Code. However, this article is very soft as it deals with minor bodily harm," said Nasibov after leaving the police.

In his opinion, such investigators' attitude, and the questions they asked him, looks like unwillingness to seriously inquire the incident.

The assault on Ilgar Nasibov was condemned by the international human rights organization Freedom House; and concern about the incident was expressed by Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, who urged the Azerbaijani authorities to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the case.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.