Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Gadjiev complains about use of force by police

In Baku, a policeman used force during the detention of Bakhtiyar Gadjiev and then at a police station, the activist himself claims. A “preventive conversation” was held with Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan announced its version.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, the head of the NGO “Positive Changes” and the director of the “Human Capital Consulting” LLC, filed a claim to the court to recognize as a violation the fact that his Facebook page was blocked by the official page of Ilham Aliev. The blocking deprives the activist of the right to leave comments under the posts of the Azerbaijani President.

A policeman detained Bakhtiyar Gadjiev while the activist was photographing an empty street in Baku, along which Ilham Aliev’s motorcade was expected to drive, the activist says.

According to Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, the policeman continued to use physical force against him at the police station and also insulted him.

In April, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) upheld a complaint filed by Bakhtiyar Gadjiev and obliged the Azerbaijan’s authorities to pay the activist the compensation in the amount of 12,850 euros. The activist pointed to an unlawful arrest on the charge of evading military service and requested the Strasbourg Court to recognize a violation of the article of the European Convention on Human Rights on the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment.