Associates reported that opposition figure Zeynalov's rights were violated in pretrial detention.

Azerbaijan Popular Front Party member Kenan Zeynalov, who is being held in pretrial detention, is being groundlessly denied visits and phone calls with his family, his associates and lawyer reported.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, 59-year-old Kenan Zeynalov was detained on March 21. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he is involved in the stabbing of a man due to a personal conflict: on the evening of March 21, 36-year-old Anar Rahimov was hospitalized with an abdominal wound in the village of Yeni-Guneshli in the Surakhani district of Baku. Fellow party members stated that the criminal case against Zeynalov is fabricated. In April, a Baku appeals court dismissed his arrest.

Kenan Zeynalov is being held incommunicado, the PFPA press service reported. "Kenan Zeynalov has been held incommunicado in Shuvelan Pretrial Detention Center No. 3 for seven months now. He is not allowed visits or phone calls with his family, and food parcels or even a change of clothes are not accepted. On October 23, at the first hearing in the Baku Grave Crimes Court, Kenan Zeynalov raised this issue. But the judges ignored it," said a party representative, who wished to remain anonymous.

Zeynalov's lawyer, Nazim Musayev, confirmed the restrictions on Zeynalov's visits, phone calls, and receiving packages for him.

"These restrictions were imposed by the investigator. Formally, the investigator has the legal right to impose restrictions, but they must justify this decision. Restrictions may be justified in cases where a person is accused of particularly serious crimes or to prevent further crimes. However, in this case, we are dealing with a 'domestic conflict,' which in reality never occurred. We, the defense, have already appealed the investigator's decision to the court, but to no avail. The most absurd and illegal thing is that the investigation has ended, the case is already in court, and the request for Zeynalov to communicate with his family still remains in effect," Musayev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

If the restrictions are not lifted, the defense will file a motion to restore the activist's rights in accordance with the court's decision. "Kenan Zeynalov has been slandered, and that's beyond doubt. It's noteworthy that two weeks ago, the ECHR found his arrest unlawful in a different administrative case," the lawyer said.

"The reason for his arrest is his active involvement in the PFPA. He also volunteered to provide security for party leader Ali Karimli at public events. For seven months, he has been held in complete isolation – solitary confinement, no visits or phone calls, and no right to receive food or clothing from home. On October 23, he was brought in wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he was detained seven months earlier. This is blatant political revenge," Jamil Hasanli, head of the National Council of Democratic Forces, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

He noted that Zeynalov was a defense witness in the case of opposition leader Tofig Yagublu. "Kenan Zeynalov exposed the charges against Yagublu, and now he's faced the same consequences himself," Hasanli noted.

It's worth noting that Azerbaijani human rights activists previously recognized Zeynalov as a political prisoner.