The trial in the case of a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Agil Humbatov was continued today in the Baku Serious Crimes Court.
The meeting was actually held behind closed doors, since none of his relatives and party comrades were allowed into the hall, with the exception of lawyer Gumbatov. Humbatov was brought into the hall in handcuffs, the lawyer Neymat Karimli told reporters.
“I made a motion to remove the handcuffs from Hubmatov, release him from the glass cage during the trial, change the measure of restraint and challenge the judge for not allowing relatives and supporters of the accused, as well as a journalist, to enter the courtroom. The petitions and challenge were not satisfied, except for the removal of the handcuffs from Humbatov,” Karimli said. According to the lawyer, Humbatov gave initial testimony under torture.
“After we met with him on October 16, he retracted his testimony, given under torture. Humbatov stated that he was arrested due to the activities of facebook. He has a video message to Ilham Aliyev with a call to establish child benefits,” the lawyer continued.
He also noted that he had filed a torture complaint against Humbatov. “We turned to the prosecutor’s office with a complaint about torture. Allegedly, he was examined and the fact of torture was not confirmed. However, even an examination was not carried out. Humbatov says his rib was broken,” the lawyer said.
The next court session will be held on November 10.