Activists worry about fate of Azerbaijani oppositionist

The reason for the non-admission of the advocate to Malik Rzaev, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) may be his torture, his advocate and activists have suggested.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Nemat Kerimli, an advocate for Malik Rzaev, accused of drug dealing, complained that he could not get a visit to his client. Rzaev's relatives disagree with the accusations and believe that the real reason for his arrest is in his criticism of the authorities.

Mr Kerimli and activists are concerned that the real reason for the advocate's non-admission to Rzaev may be in the fact that he was tortured. According to the advocate, another of his clients, Mutallim Orudjev, arrested under a similar charge, had complained of torture after his detention. Like Rzaev, Orudjev had been also deported from Germany.

Afghan Mukhtarly, a journalist living in Germany, believes both activists are persecuted for their oppositional activities against Azerbaijani authorities.

"In Germany, both Rzaev and Orudjev have repeatedly participated in actions against unfair arrests and arbitrariness in Azerbaijan. They were also active in social networks. Over the past five or six years, hundreds of people have been deported from Germany to Azerbaijan ... German authorities are deporting politically active people, despite the threat of their persecution at home," Mr Mukhtarly has noted.

Tezakhan Miralamli, a member of the NGO "Defence Line", has treated the charges brought against Rzaev and Orudjev as politically motivated. "Drug charges are most common for prosecuting critics of Azerbaijani authorities," he believes.