"Musavat" Party activist punished after posting in social media

Djeikhun Mamedli, the chairman of the Zardob District branch of the "Musavat" Party, was detained at home and fined for allegedly disobeying the police. The party treats the punishment as politically motivated.

Djeikhun Mamedli said that on June 27, law enforcers took him from his home and brought to the police station, where he spent five hours.

"Allegedly, I violated the public order in the street; and when the police made a remark to me, I did not obey ... At the police, they made it clear to me that the punishment had to do with my posts on the Facebook," Mamedli told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Recently, Djeikhun has criticized the police's actions during the quarantine, especially the special operation at the "Yeni Yasamal" ... How could a man disobey the police, if they took him out of his home without any reason?" asks Faradj Kerimli, the deputy chairman of the "Musavat" Party.

Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Centre for Monitoring Political Prisoners, has noted that Mamedli became the fourth activist punished in the last three days.

"Two members of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) – Faig Rashidov and Elshad Ataev, as well as Djavid Mamedzade, an activist, were arrested, while the member of the "Musavat" Party was fined. They all suffered for posting in social networks," Mr Gasanov has stated.