Azerbaijani activist Veliev complains about torture at police

The advocate Elchin Sadygov has released a statement of Rakhim Veliev, an activist of the "Nida" movement, who is under administrative arrest and who has complained about beating up and abused by policemen.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rakhim Veliev was detained on January 16, and his home was searched. His advocate Elchin Sadygov reported that Veliev was arrested for 30 days for disobeying the police.

Veliev was detained on January 16 at about 11 a.m., when he left home to buy some bread. Policemen from Narimanov District Department seized him and forced into a car; and at the police station they demanded from him to delete his entries from his personal page in a social network, says the statement written by Veliev and handed over to Sadygov for posting on the Facebook.

"They threatened me, saying: 'Your mother will be fired; we'll go to your home and search the underwear of your family members.' I was beaten up; and they demanded from me to completely close my page on the Facebook," says the statement, as reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Rakhim Veliev had openly criticised the country's authorities; and shortly before his arrest placed a post on the Facebook, in which it condemned the prosecution of his friends. The "Nida" movement said that this is the real reason for the arrest of the activist.

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