Azerbaijani activist reports ban on her leaving the country

Investigators have banned Saadat Djakhangir, a member of the oppositional Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), from leaving Azerbaijan for medical treatment abroad under the motive that she is a witness in a criminal case.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 1, 2020, law enforcers searched the apartment of Saadat Djakhangir, a member of the presidium of the PFPA and an employee of the "Azadlyg" newspaper, after which she was interrogated as a witness in a criminal case at the Investigating Department for Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO).

The interrogation held in May 2020 had to do with the case of the activist, Nyameddin Akhmedov, who was later convicted, Ms Djakhangir told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to her story, now she has a need to go abroad for medical treatment; therefore, she sent a request to the GPO asking if she can leave the country. On March 15, she received an official answer from the above GPO's Department stating that the ban on her leaving the country is still in force.

According to Saadat Djakhangir, the letter, signed by Nemat Avazov, the Department head, reads: "You have been temporarily banned from crossing the state border." "It follows from the letter that, since part of the Akhmedov's case was isolated into a separate proceeding, the ban on crossing the border is still active. In Azerbaijan, this notorious 'stop' signal is used to exert [pressure] on opposition-minded Azerbaijani citizens. If this absurd ban is not cancelled in the near future, I'll go to court and then – to the European Court of Hyman Rights (ECtHR)," Ms Djakhangir has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 16, 2022 at 05:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.