Baku: law enforcers beat up activist Bakhtiyar Gadjiev

After a protest action held in front of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) with a demand to investigate his complaints, law enforcers have beaten up Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, the head of the NGO "Positive Changes".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in October 2021, Bakhtiyar Gadjiev stated that a policeman in Baku used force during his detention and later at the police station. A "preventive conversation" was conducted with Gadjiev, the Azerbaijani MIA announced its version of events.

Earlier, Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, who is also the director of the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Human Capital Consulting", demanded to treat as a violation the fact that his Facebook page was blocked by Ilham Aliev's page, therefore, he cannot comment on the posts of the President of Azerbaijan. The court refused to consider Gadjiev's claim.

Bakhtiyar Gadjiev said that this time he drove up to the MIA building in his car and hung out a poster on the glass claiming law enforcers' inaction and sheltering criminals. According to his version, they approached the car, began kicking it demanding from him to remove the poster. Then, they pulled him out of the car, threw him on the pavement and handcuffed him. The policemen demanded from him to stop criticizing the MIA leadership in social networks and holding protests.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in April 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) satisfied Gadjiev's complaint and ordered the Azerbaijani authorities to pay him compensation in the amount of 12,850 euros. The activist pointed to unlawful arrest and detention on charges of evading military service.