Azerbaijani blogger Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu arrested for 28 days

In Shirvan, blogger Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu, a member of the Azerbaijan Nationalist Democratic Party (ANDP), was arrested for failure to obey the police. His party colleagues believe that his persecution is connected with criticism of local authorities.

Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu was detained on May 9, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent was informed by Galandar Mukhtarly, the chair of the ANDP. “Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu was summoned from his house in Shirvan to a local police department. On the other day, the Shirvan City Court sentenced him to 28 days of administrative arrest, finding him guilty of failure to obey the lawful demands of the police (Article 535.1 of the Administrative Code of Azerbaijan). This is obviously a false accusation. He came to the police after being summoned, so what kind of disobedience can we talk about?” Galandar Mukhtarly noted.

The ANDP suggests that the activist is being persecuted for his posts on the YouTube channel “Şirvan Tv Eyvaz Eloğlu”. “Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu made public the facts of violation of the rights of citizens in Shirvan. He showed stories about the squander of public property, mismanagement, and indifference of officials to citizens’ complaints. He was warned several times to stop criticizing the authorities. And as a result, he was arrested," Galandar Mukhtarly said.

He expressed fears that a criminal case could also be fabricated against Eyvaz Yakhyaoglu. “We demand his release,” the chair of the party said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2022 at 02:56 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.