Court upholds arrest of Elmir Abbasov, "Nida" activist

Yesterday, the Sumgait Court of Appeal (CoA) upheld the ruling to arrest Elmir Abbasov, a member of the "Nida" movement, accused of illegal storage and use of drug. Oppositionists have linked his arrest with his criticism of the country's president.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Elmir Abbasov, an activist and a member of the "Nida" movement, was arrested for 30 days on charges of illegal drug use.

On March 4, the Sumgait CoA, chaired by Judge Elman Abbasov, considered the appeal complaint lodged by Elmir Abbasov. The court did not let journalists, public and even Elmir Abbasov's mother into the courtroom to attend the session, Elchin Sadygov, an advocate, has reported.

During the trial, Elmir Abbasov stated that the charges against him were unjustified. He also complained about physical pressure.

Elmir Abbasov was detained on January 12 because of his post on the Facebook about the head of Azerbaijan, the activist himself said earlier.

The defence petitioned for the termination of the administrative case and passing a private ruling against the policemen involved in his arrest, who used violence against the activist. However, the court dismissed the complaint, the advocate Sadygov has added. "In administrative cases, the CoA is the highest instance. We'll surely turn to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in order to achieve recognition of violation of Abbasov's rights and appointment of compensation for him in the future," the advocate has told about his plans.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 5, 2021 at 10:03 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.