Mukhtarly's advocate and wife report details of his kidnapping in Georgia

Journalist Afghan Mukhtarly was transported through an uncontrolled section of the Georgian-Azerbaijani border. This was reported at a press conference by Azerbaijani advocate Nemat Kerimli. People in uniform pushed Afghan Mukhtarly into a car parked near the house where he lived, and later with a plastic bag on his head, he was taken out of the country. This was claimed by his wife Leyla Mustafaeva.

At the press conference held at the Human Rights House, advocate Nemat Kerimli reported that a car blocked the journalist's way, and four men in police and military uniforms jumped out of it. They forced Afghan Mukhtarly into their car and took him away.

On the other day, on May 30, Afghan Mukhtarly was brought to Baku, where he was charged with illegal crossing of the border, smuggling a large amount of money and resisting law enforcers.

The wife of Afghan Mukhtarly has noted that the Azerbaijani authorities brought no charges against her husband prior to his kidnapping. The woman has expressed her doubts that her husband will be released if it is proved that he had never crossed the border illegally and that the accusations are baseless.

According to Nemat Kerimli, the health state of Afghan Mukhtarly is satisfactory, but the journalist suffers from diabetes and needs injections.

Such an operation as the journalist's kidnapping could be carried out only with the consent of the country's leaders, believes Shota Utiashvili, the former chief of the Information Department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

Earlier, the Prime Minister and the Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs have stated that the state agencies of the country are not involved in the kidnapping of Afghan Mukhtarly.

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