In Azerbaijan, the detention period of human rights activist Anar Mammadli has been extended
A court in Baku has granted the investigation's motion to extend the detention period of the head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS) Anar Mammadli by three months. The defense believes that the case brought against him for currency smuggling is revenge for his human rights activities.
"There is no evidence that Anar Mammadli committed any crime. They are trying to fabricate false evidence. We disagree with both decisions and will appeal," the lawyer said.
Norwegian human rights activists and employees of several embassies tried to attend the court hearing, but they were not allowed in.
Two years ago, Anar Mammadli was diagnosed with a herniated disc. Due to the lack of an orthopedic mattress, he suffers from severe pain. He also suffers from shortness of breath and asthma attacks.
Earlier, the Baku Court of Appeal rejected Anar Mammadli's motion to transfer him from pretrial detention to house arrest. The defendant rejected the charges of currency smuggling and linked the criminal case to his public and human rights activities. International organizations and the US State Department called on the Azerbaijani government to release the activist and other imprisoned journalists and activists.
In 2014, Anar Mammadli was sentenced to five and a half years on charges of tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship. He was pardoned two years later.
