BCA leaves oppositionist Gumbatov in custody

The Baku Court of Appeal did not grant a complaint filed against the arrest of Agil Gumbatov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. The oppositionist himself retracted his testimony in court, his advocate reported.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 11, Agil Gumbatov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was detained in a case on stabbing a resident of the village of Zirya near Baku. The court pronounced a decision to arrest Agil Gumbatov for four months. On August 16, the advocate filed a complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office in which claimed that the oppositionist had signed his confession after the beatings.

On August 19, the Agil Gumbatov’s complaint was considered by the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) chaired by Judge Vagif Mursagulov, advocate Nemat Kerimli told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

“Agil Gumbatov himself participated in the trial. He said that he did not injure anyone. The arrest, according to Agil Gumbatov, relates to criticism of President Ilham Aliev on social media. Agil Gumbatov claimed that his initial testimony to investigators had been given under pressure and torture. My client said that he retracted his initial testimony,” the advocate reported.

According to Nemat Kerimli, the court did not grant the defence motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure. The advocate announced his intention to continue using legal means to change the pre-trial restriction measure and file a motion for transfer to house arrest.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 20, 2021 at 12:12 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.