Said Nuri questioned in Azerbaijan within the case against some NGOs

On Tuesday, Said Nuri, who was denied leaving Azerbaijan, was questioned as a witness at the investigating Department for Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan within the case initiated against a number of local and foreign NGOs, said the lawyer Yalchin Imanov.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 4, at departure from the Baku Airport to Ukraine, Said Nuri, who had arrived in Baku in summer to visit his sick father, was stopped. Border guards motivated their actions by the ban imposed by the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan.

Both Nuri and Imanov were forced to sign a non-disclose agreement; and in this regard they refrained from comments. Imanov just said Nuri was attracted as a witness in the above case against NGOs.

The lawyer also said that he was preparing a complaint to the court against Nuri's unreasonable ban on leaving Azerbaijan. Investigators did not explain when Nuri would be able to leave Azerbaijan.

When asked on how Nuri may have relation to the above case, if he lives in the USA, Imanov said that he "was himself highly surprised."

The US Department of State and the Embassy are in contact with the Azerbaijani authorities in the case of the American citizen Said Nuri, the Department's spokesperson Jane Psaki said in her turn on September 8.