While driving through the city center in the IRFS car on March 7, 2011, Mehman Huseynov (photographer and video operator) and Abulfat Namazov (photographer and driver) noticed that they were being followed by 3 cars (a black Mitsubishi Pajero and a grey and red VAZ 2107s. When the car stopped at the traffic light, the plain clothed persons surrounded the IRFS car, and without identifying themselves, opened the doors and forced the employees out to their cars – separately. Without any explanation, they took the employees to the Criminal Search Department of Narimanov District Police Office. They were then taken to the police chief’s office and questioned.
We must note that, because our employees did not know which police office they were taken to, they wrongfully thought they were in Interior Ministry Chief Department on Fight against Organized Crime. Later, after the investigation of the issue, it became clear that our employees were actually taken to the Narimanov District Police Office. There were no other misunderstandings or mistakes in the news items we disseminated on 7 March, and the fact remains that our employees were illegally detained and questioned.