On 13 January, Yeni Musavat correspondent Samir Kazimli was physically assaulted while trying to take photos during the police search operation in the Islamic Party Head Movsum Samadov’s house, Kazimli told IRFS today, 14 January.

"The investigator did not allow photos to be taken during the search. After the search, one of the witnesses tried to seize the camera of Radio Liberty employee Nushaba Fətullayeva, and then attacked me to preventing filming. Witnesses hid their faces and did not want us to film,” Yeni Musavat correspondent, Samir Kazimli said.

On 13 January, the Islamic Party Chairman Movsum Samadov’s house was searched and a computer processor, CDs, video cassette of Ashura ceremony, and some books were taken from the house during the search.
BACKGROUND
Movsum Samadov, his driver Mirhuseyn Kazimov,  party department head Vagif Abdulayev and party activist Elchin Hasanov were arrested on January 7th.
The Azerbaijan Islamic Party Chairman criticized the hijab ban in the Party assembly on January 2nd and assessed it as a moral damage to Azerbaijani people. The video of the meeting was disseminated on social networking sites. It is supposed that the party chairman and his supporters may have been arrested because of this issue.