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Bakhtiyar Hajiyev |
The youth activist and blogger Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who was arrested in Gandja yesterday, is accused of draft dodging (Article 321.1 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code), his lawyer Elchin Namazov told Turan. The Nizami District Court of Gandja arrested Hajiyev for a month as preventive penalty on March 4 in the evening. The lawyer said this was done because Hajiyev had allegedly violated the previous preventive punishment measure (“being under police control”).
But the accusation is groundless, because Hajiyev regularly checked in the local police department and never left Gandja. He went to Baku only once in the middle of February, but notified the police about it beforehand.
Hajiyev has applied many times for an alternative service (instead of serving in the army) in accordance with the Constitution, but his applications were ignored.
The lawyer said the arrest would be complained about. Namazov said his defendant is being persecuted for his sociopolitical activities.
As for the physical violence and tortures Hajiyev was subjected to during the arrest and in the court, the lawyer said he heard from Hajiyev’s relatives and human rights advocates about this. He has not met with Hajiyev himself yet, and if the arrested man confirms this, the lawyer will take the appropriate steps.
Turan has not managed to obtain comments on the matter from the local public prosecutor office. If his guilt is proved, Hajiyev can be imprisoned for up to two years.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has called the youth to join protest rallies on March 11 and 12 through Facebook on these days. He also called the police not to meddle.
The former candidate for MP Bakhtiyar Hajiyev actively exposed the officials’ electoral fraud at the November 2010 elections. Then the authorities began to persecute him for alleged draft dodging.
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