The non-governmental organization “Line of Protection” published a report on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan in August 2021.
Based on its monitoring, the organization states mass violations of rights, protection of honor and dignity, freedom of assembly, speech and expression. Also, in the reviewed period, the rights to equality before the law and the court, to a fair trial were violated.
In particular, the organization points to the fact that lawyer Joshgun Iskender was beaten by a police officer in the hall of the Shirvan court of appeal.
Besides, the police violently dispersed the protest of feminists, and its participants were subjected to insults and physical pressures at the Khazar region police department.
A group of defendants in the “Tovuz case” who were on a dry hunger strike protesting against unjustified criminal prosecution was subjected to unjustified punishment and placed into a punishment cell.
According to the organization, an activist of the “Muslim Unity”, Abbas Huseyn, was tortured in the colony # 8. The reason for this was Huseyn’s assessment of social and situation in the country.
In August, three animal rights protection activists were administratively arrested – Nijat Ismayilov, Elkhan Mirzoev and Nijat Azayev, who actively criticized the work of the Toplan homeless dog care center. Activists believe that this center continues the traditions of the “dog box”. Before the arrest, the police dispersed their rally in the center of Baku.
The report also points to the violation of the rights of Islamists, dispersal of believers in the park with portraits of martyrs of the Karabakh war, an administrative arrest of religious activist Mehdi Shamilly, condemnation to long terms of the defendants in the “Ganja case”.
As for political activists, there is an arrest on trumped-up charges of a member of the Party of People’s Front of Azerbaijan, Agil Humbatov, who criticized the authorities for their devil-may-care attitude to the poor and large families. After his arrest, under coercion, he confessed to stabbing another person.
Activist Bakhtiar Hajiyev has sued President Ilham Aliyev for having his account removed from the head of state’s Facebook page due to critical comments.
* It should stressed that the”Line of Protection” was set up a year ago by a group of civil society activists. Its executive director is a former investigator of the prosecutor’s office and ex-political prisoner Rufat Safarov.