Azerbaijan: eight participants in opposition action fined already

Fines for participating in the action on the Republic Day have been imposed on other four activists. Thus, all the oppositionists detained on May 28 have been punished.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 30, the court fined four protesters by 300 manats (USD 180) each.

On May 28, 2019, two oppositional rallies, organized by supporters of the "Musavat" Party and the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), were held near the monument to Mamed Emin Rasulzade in the village of Novkhany near Baku. Oppositionists were waiting for their comrades near the road aiming to march to the place of the rally together, but law enforcers demanded from them to move to the monument.

"On that day, May 28, policemen released everyone. But, apparently, someone at the top decided that it was not enough for the spoiled mood on the Republic Day. The court judgements will be appealed against; and the case will be brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," Gezyal Bairamly, Deputy Chair of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has stated.

Ogtai Gyulyalyev, the head of the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners, has treated the fines imposed for taking part in the festive rally as a grave violation of the freedom of assembly. He has noted that since January, authorities have not allowed the opposition to hold rallies.

The fines are unjustified, since the rules for holding rallies do not apply to mass actions on holidays, Yalchin Imanov, a lawyer, has stated.