Photo reporter Elnur Mukhtarli and NIDA Movement member Amid Suleymanov, who were sentenced to 10-day administrative detention on May 25, 2016, have been freed.
The reason for their arrest was believed to be the fact that Elnur Mukhtar, together with NIDA Civic Movement member Amid Suleymanov, read aloud the words “Happy Slave Holiday” written by youth activists Giyas Ibrahimov and Bayram Mammadov on the late Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev’s statue facing the Central Bank near the 28-May metro station on May 09, 2016. They were caught on the cameras in the area and were therefore detained.
On June 3, youth activist Amid Suleymanov’s lawyer Nemat Karimli said that the youth activist was subjected to psychological pressure and ill-treatment at the time of his arrest. “First they came to their house at night and knocked at the door. In the morning, they came again and threatened to knock down the door. They forcibly entered the house and took Amid to the police office barefooted. At the police office #5, he was asked questions such as “what do you share, what do you do on Facebook, what are your financial sources.” Failing to achieve anything, they charged him with insubordination to police. They told him that unless he agreed to that, he would be arrested. He agreed to the suggestion of the police under psychological pressure,” the lawyer noted.
Background: NIDA Movement members, final year students of Azerbaijan Slavic University Giyas Ibrahimov and Bayram Mammadov were arrested on drug charges. Youth activist Giyas Ibrahimov had written “Happy Slave Holiday” and “fuck the system” on the late Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev’s statue facing the Central Bank near the 28-May metro station, and Bayram Mammadov had taken a photo of the slogans on the statue. The photo was shared on Facebook social network.