On May 10, the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Farid Eyubov, considered a complaint against the arrest of religious activist Murad Abdullayev on charges of illegal drug trafficking.
The court rejected the complaint, leaving the activist under arrest, activist’s sister Arzu Abdullayev told Turan.
On May 11, Abdullayev’s complaint about the refusal to transfer to house arrest will also be considered. She said that her brother was still being held in a cramped cell with 15 other prisoners.
“Murad has no complaints about his cellmates, but suffers from an acute form of neurosis and being kept in a cramped cell, where it is very crowded, there is no water and ventilation is poor, that seriously worsens his health,” the sister said.
* M.Abdullayev was detained on March 9. He was charged under the Article 234.4.3 (large-scale drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, under which he faces from 5 to 12 years in prison. M.Abdullayev is included in the list of political prisoners published by the Union “For Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan” on April 20.
According to human rights activists, in February-March at least 89 believers were arrested in Azerbaijan on politically motivated charges, who are charged with illegal drug trafficking.