A protest was held outside Baku Grave Crimes Court building on May 6 against the court’s verdict on NIDA activists. Up to 30 people were detained during the protest.
Journalists filming the action were ill treated by the police. Even the journalists who wore journalist vests were pressured. Journalists were pushed, their tablets, computers, cameras were seized. Some of them were detained. Among detainees were “Yeni Musavat” newspaper reporter Mahammad Turkman, “Azadlig” newspaper reporter Khalid Garayev, and the employee of the Mediaforum webpage Amid Suleymanov. Later on they were freed.
On May 7, while detained protesters were being tried, the journalists covering the process once again faced pressure. Obyektiv TV reporter Huseyn Azizoglu was assaulted and beaten by a plainly clothed man. The police although seeing this did not intervene. The journalist was injured, his camera was damaged and eyeglasses were broken.