23:58, 13 June 2022

Blogger Ramazanov sent to psychiatric hospital after complaining about torture

Azerbaijani blogger Rashad Ramazanov, who was arrested in a case on drug trafficking and who complained about torture, was sent to a psychiatric hospital for examination. The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into Rashad Ramazanov’s complaint about torture.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Rashad Ramazanov (also known as Rashad Agaaddin) was detained on May 20 and charged with drug trafficking. The blogger’s wife said that he was being persecuted for critical posts on social media against the authorities of Azerbaijan.

In November 2013, a court found Rashad Ramazanov guilty in the case on drug trafficking and sentenced him to nine years of imprisonment. In March 2019, the blogger was pardoned by the president.

According to the wife, her husband never had serious mental disorders. “Rashad had problems with the nervous system after his previous prison term. After his release in 2019, Rashad received treatment, but he had no serious mental disorders,” Kenul Ramazanova said.

The blogger’s wife believes that he was unreasonably arrested. “Rashad has nothing in common with drugs,” the woman said.

Earlier, Elshad Gadjiev, the chief for the press service department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan, called Rashad Ramazanov’s allegations of torture “unfounded.” Meanwhile, the “Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan” recognized Rashad Ramazanov as a political prisoner.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 13, 2022 at 08:13 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent