"Nida" activist Anar Abdullah arrested for 10 days

Today, policemen have detained Anar Abdullah, an activist of the Azerbaijani "Nida" movement. He was taken to the 18^th station of the Narimanov District Police Office. According to "Nida" movement, this is the fifth activist of the movement, detained in Azerbaijan over the past 18 days.

Around 6:00 p.m., the "Nida" movement posted a message on its Facebook page, saying that Abdullah had been arrested for 10 days. He was found guilty of disobeying the police, which is punishable by a fine or an arrest for up to 30 days.

A source in the "Nida" believes that Abdullah was arrested because of the graffiti on the monument to Geidar Aliev.

Photos of the monument of Geidar Aliev in the park in central Baku with inscriptions on its pedestal were disseminated on May 10 in social networks on the Internet and some online editions. The inscription in the Azerbaijani language read: "Qul bayramınız mübarək!" (Congratulations on the slaves' holiday!). This was wordplay with the phrase "Congratulations on the Day of Flowers!" This day is marked annually on May 10, the birthday of former president Geidar Aliev. On the other side of the pedestal, it was written in English: "Fuck the system!" Later, the inscriptions were erased.

The advocate Shakhla Gumbatova has confirmed to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent the Abdullah's 10-day arrest. According to her story, at the trial, the young man denied the charge of disobeying the police. The advocate promised to lodge, within the next week, an appeal against the court's judgement.

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