ECtHR awards arrest compensation to Azerbaijani activist

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has pronounced a resolution to pay to Tural Gadjibeili, an activist from the "Musavat" Party, the compensation in the amount of 10,500 euros. The ECtHR has recognized the activist's arrest for participation in the demonstration in Baku on March 12, 2011, as unjustified.

Today, the decision on the Tural Gadjibeili's complaint has been published on the ECtHR's website.

According to the document, the activist was detained at an opposition rally, which was not sanctioned by the authorities, but was peaceful. Tural Gadjibeili was accused of violating the rules for holding demonstrations and disobeying the police and was subjected to administrative arrest for seven days. The activist did not succeed in challenging the decision at the higher court instances and after that appealed to the ECtHR.

His interests at the European Court were represented by Intigam Aliev, a well-known Azerbaijani lawyer and a rights defender, the leader of the Legal Education Society.

"The rally was unreasonably not sanctioned by the authorities. According to the Constitution of Azerbaijan, every citizen has the right to freedom of assembly. And Tural Gadjibeili exercised the above right in a peaceful manner. However, he was detained. The court failed to conduct an unbiased investigation and sentenced him, with full reliance on the police's claims," Intigam Aliev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The Strasbourg Court has pronounced the decision to pay to the activist the compensation for moral damage in the amount of 8000 euros and other 2500 euros for reimbursement of court costs.

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