Activist of “Musavat” Party reports about his detention at a picket in Baku

On April 5, Aziz Mamiev, a member of the opposition “Musavat” Party, was detained for attempting to hold a picket in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan. The activist claimed that the police put pressure on him.

Earlier, according to Aziz Mamiev, he received threats on social media and phone calls insulting him and his family members. The police did not respond to the complaint, the activist claims.

“Now I receive anonymous threats of dissemination of footage of my intimate life. In addition, last year I was fined 50 manats for participating in a rally in defence of political prisoner Salekh Rustamov. The amount of fine was debited from my bank card three times. And the other day, I got a message with threats of physical violence. Therefore, I went to the building of the Azerbaijani MIA to demand to stop all that,” Aziz Mamiev said.

Mustafa Gadjibeili, the chief of the press service for the “Musavat” Party, called Aziz Mamiev one of the most active young figures of the party.

“He actively participated in protests, for which he was detained and fined ... Now he receives threats, they are trying to intimidate him,” Mustafa Gadjibeili said.

Rufat Safarov, a member of the “Line of Defence” NGO, believes that in Azerbaijan, oppositionists quite often receive threats through instant messengers and social media.

“Activists are being subjected not only to arrests, but also to psychological pressure, insults, and blackmail,” Rufat Safarov said.