Court of Appeal Keeps Musavat’s Youth Activist in Detention
February 1, 2016
The Baku Court of Appeal considered the appeal filed against the court ruling on the pretrial detention measure selected against Elvin Pashayev, a member of the youth branch of the opposition party Musavat and part of the Gubadli regional branch. Elvin Pashayev was arrested on drug trafficking charges on January 23 and was sentenced to 4 months detention. In proceedings that took place behind closed doors, the court denied the Musavat activist’s appeal and upheld the ruling of the Narimanov District Court on pretrial detention.
Elvin Pashayev’s lawyer Nemat Karimli said that Elvin Pashayev believes his arrest is related to his Facebook posts and his article about Sumgayit State University. “At the hearing, Elvin said that his arrest was politically motivated. He had been actively involved in an event created on a social networking website against price increases, and was arrested on January 23 on his way to the private school at which he teaches. He was shoved into a car by 3 or 4 unknown men, and driven away. A bag of 65 grams of drugs was planted into his left pocket. The court ruling on the selection of pretrial detention against him was not based on any evidence. Elvin is under great stress. This injustice hurts him. It is not his arrest that he cannot handle, but the social injustice is represents. Elvin was subjected to pressure upon his arrest. They raised his hands and planted drugs in his pocket,” said the lawyer.
The Musavat Party believes that Elvin Pashayev’s arrest is politically motivated and is retaliation for his social network posts publicizing bribery in Azerbaijan.