Today, the Baku Court of Appeal rejected a complaint against the arrest of activist Samir Ashurov, upholding the court decision on his arrest for 4 months.
Ashurov was expelled from Germany on March 29 and 20 days later he was detained by the police in Baku. He was accused of stabbing Elshan Nabiev (Article 126.2.4 of the Criminal Code – Deliberate infliction of grievous bodily harm out of hooligan motives). He faces 6 to 11 years in prison.
Ashurov denies the accusation. After his arrest, he went on a hunger strike, demanding an end to his persecution. His wife Nurana Ashurova told Turan that her husband was beaten and subjected to moral pressure in the Shuvalan pre-trial detention center. At the same time, he was not given the right to make a phone call.
“He told me about it on Wednesday when I came to the pre-trial detention center. Samir was forced to stop his hunger strike due to a sharp deterioration in his condition. He has diabetes,” Ashurova said. She stated that she had applied to the German embassy, but no one accepted her.
“When we were deported from Germany, we were assured that Samir would not be arrested, and if there were problems, we could contact the embassy. However, now I cannot get an appointment at the embassy,” Ashurova said.
She is convinced that her husband was arrested on trumped-up charges. She believes that the arrest of her husband is because of his participation in protests against human rights violations in Germany, which were carried out by political emigrants.