Advocate complains about non-admission to oppositionist arrested in Sumgait

In Azerbaijan, the advocate Asabali Mustafaev was not admitted to his client, the oppositionist Ruslan Garaev, arrested administratively for 20 days, the advocate has reported. He fears that Garaev is tortured. The Sumgait police do not comment on the advocate's statement.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 20, Ruslan Garaev, the head of the Youth Committee of the Sumgait branch of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was sentenced to an administrative arrest for 20 days. His fellow party members associate his arrest with his activeness in social networks.

On July 22, the advocate Asabali Mustafaev joined the Garaev's defence. However, neither on July 22, nor on July 23, he could not meet his client, who is kept in the Sumgait City Police Department, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

"Maybe I was not allowed to see him because he is tortured. It's likely that they want the traces of violence to disappear, and then to let me visit him. But we'll take steps to challenge the police's actions," said the advocate.

Mustafaev has also said that he had managed to figure out that Garaev had been arrested administratively for an alleged disobedience to the police.

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