Lawyer Anar Gasimov reported that he had filed a motion against Sumgayit City Court investigator Ziyadkhan Aliyev, in protest to the second drug test. The hearing has been scheduled for 28 March, and will be presided by Judge Tahmina Khalilova. Once these hearings have been held, the preliminary investigation can be concluded.
BACKGROUND
Azerbaijan Popular Front Party member Jabbar Savalanli was arrested on 5 February, 2011. He is being charged with drug possession, but it is widely thought that his arrest was politically motivated, linked to criticism of the government he posted on social networking sites.
The medical examination conducted by the Health Ministry’s Drug Abuse Clinic revealed that Savalanli was not a drug addict, and did not require treatment. However, the document did not rule out that the youth activist could have used drugs.
INVESTIGATION OF YOUTH ACTIVIST PROLONGED
The police investigation of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) youth member Jabbar Savalanli should have been concluded by now, but the Sumgayit City Police Office successfully appealed to prolong the investigation.