Court would not let Mukhtarly to his relatives' funeral

The journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, who is in custody in Azerbaijan, could not take part in the funeral of his relatives that took place on January 1. Today, the court refused to release him temporarily for the funeral feast, his advocate has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 31, 2017, in the town of Zagatala, the bodies of Afghan Mukhtarly's sister and his two nephews were found. Their deaths were caused by a gas stove, which went out at night; and the gas killed them, Elshan's brother believes. Apart from this version, investigators consider a possible food poisoning.

Today, at the next session at the Balaken District Court, Mukhtarly's defence petitioned for a change of his freedom restriction measure, said Nemat Kerimli, a journalist's advocate.

"On December 31, Afghan Mukhtarly's close relatives tragically perished; and we asked the court to change his custody for house arrest so that he could meet his relatives and take part in the funeral feast," Nemat Kerimli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Kerimli has noted that on December 31 he, along with his colleague Elchin Sadygov, appealed to the Ombudsperson and the Penitentiary Service asking to allow Mukhtarly attend the funeral, but received no reply.

The funeral took place on January 1 in the Zagatala District, but Mukhtarly was not let to go there, although he is kept in a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in the neighbouring Sheki District, said the advocate.

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