Court leaves Azerbaijani activist under arrest

In Baku, a court dismissed an appeal filed by Agil Gumbatov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who was arrested under the article on disobedience to the police. The activist associated the criminal proceedings against him with his video appeal to President Ilham Aliev.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Agil Gumbatov was detained on March 15.

Agil Gumbatov pleads not guilty. According to him, he cares of three minor children and after his dismissal, he cannot feed his family and has to "collect glass bottles for pennies in order to buy bread."

Advocate Fakhraddin Mekhtiev called the arrest of Agil Gumbatov unlawful. According to the advocate, no reliable evidence of his client's guilt is submitted, and the defence will prepare a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

"Agil Gumbatov is being punished for appealing to Ilham Aliev. He was emotional, but it was an outburst of his despair. The man has nothing to feed his family with, he has to visit landfills, and all that occurs in a country rich in oil. The authorities acted in their style: the person was defamed and arrested," stated Gezyal Bairamly, a deputy chair of the PFPA.