Azerbaijani rights defenders treat Intigam Aliev's travel ban as political

The ban on leaving the country for Intigam Aliev has to do with authorities' attempt to prevent criticism from reputable international podiums, the rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert.

The ban on travelling abroad is justified by the conditional punishment under a criminal case, Intigam Aliev, the head of the "Legal Enlightenment Society", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Mr Aliev has noted that after his release he was once let out of the country to take part in an international event. "Apparently, after my speeches, where I spoke about the problems and shortcomings of the judicial system of Azerbaijan, about the obstacles posed to the activities of civil society institutions, they decided not to let me out of the country," he has suggested.

In the opinion of Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEMDT), Intigam Aliev has a political ban on travels abroad. "Azerbaijan uses bans on leaving the country as a form of political repressions against opponents (to the authorities)," Mr Mamedli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Intigam Aliev's rights are restricted for political reasons, Elshan Gasanov the head of the Centre for Monitoring Political Prisoners, has agreed.

"By depriving him of travels abroad, authorities are trying to limit his international ties and prevent him from speaking at reputable human rights forums," Mr Gasanov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 27, 2020 at 03:37 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.