On 13 April an action was conducted in the center of Kurdamir region to support “Azadlig” newspaper journalist Agil Khalil.
Residents and intellectuals of the Kurdamir region and teachers who taught the journalist participated in the action. The action was scheduled to be conducted 10 am, opening with a marching from the front of the Culture Center to the local prosecutor’s office, but instead the action was held in the center of the Kurdamir region – close to bazaar (farmers’ market) on Heydar Aliyev Street, because police gathered in the planned area. Police closed all roads to the action and exit roads to the city. Car keys were taken from the drivers who were coming to the action and some of the participants were detained. Popular Front, Classic Popular Front and Musavat party members participated in the action, which lasted for 30 minutes. The action participants held placards that read “Agil Khalil is with us,” “Damn Zakir Garalov” and so on. A statement was read at the end of the action. The major demand was for the government to stop this kind of shameful acts.
Three of the participants that were detained were released after a couple of hours. One of them was teacher Aliyusif Malikov and two were ordinary people. Khalil’s mother Khuraman Khalilova reported this to the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety.