Azerbaijan: three drivers arrested after protest action

Three of the four drivers who blocked Geidar Aliev Avenue in Baku demanding issuance of permits for international transportation have been arrested: two are under administrative arrest; and a criminal case has been opened against the third one.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on February 17, drivers of four trucks blocked the central avenue in Baku. They demanded permits from the authorities for the transportation of goods. By noon, the police unblocked the traffic. On February 18, a video was posted on the YouTube page of the Azerbaijan Public Television, in which the drivers apologized for the blocking.

On February 18, the drivers faced trial; and the Narimanov District Court of Baku arrested Fakhraddin Melikov and Miralem Mamedov for 30 days. Melikov was found guilty under Article 535.1 (disobedience to the police), and Mamedov – under Article 510.1 (petty hooliganism) of the Azerbaijani Code of Administrative Offences, Rufat Safarov, the executive director of the NGO "Defence Line", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In relation to Ramish Djafarov, the court ruled to place him behind bars for two months, because he was criminally charged under Article 233 (committing actions aimed at violating public order or participating in them) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. The fourth driver, Bakhtiyar Nuriev, was released from liability by the court "for reasons of health and age," Mr Safarov has added.

"We believe that the drivers' arrests are excessively severe punishments, especially for Djafarov, who faces a long prison sentence. They resorted to protest because they had exhausted all other possible ways to draw attention to problems in the field of issuing permits for international road transport. However, apparently, authorities decided to stage a demonstrative punishment in order to prevent possible protests from other disgruntled groups of citizens," Mr Safarov has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 19, 2022 at 01:12 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.