Journalist Afghan Mukhtarly brought from Tbilisi to Baku

Afgan Mukhtarly, an Azerbaijani journalist, who was searched by his relatives, was taken from Tbilisi to Baku, and is kept in the Central Department of the State Border Service (SBS) of Azerbaijan, the advocate Nemat Kerimli has reported.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Afghan Mukhtarly, an oppositional journalist, disappeared in Tbilisi on May 29; this was reported by his wife, Leyla Mustafaeva.

Nemat Kerimli treats the situation with the journalist as "a flagrant arbitrariness." "If Azerbaijani law enforcers kidnapped Mukhtarly in Georgia, then, Georgia should protest. However, if Georgian authorities are involved in Mukhtarly's detention, they share responsibility for his actual kidnapping," he said.

According to Ogtay Gyulyalyev, the head of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan Without Political Prisoners", recently, we see regular violations of rights of Azerbaijani activists living in Georgia.

"After being shadowed in Tbilisi, on her return to Azerbaijan, Geyzal Bayramli, the Deputy Chair of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was arrested, and now they kidnapped Afghan Mukhtarly in Tbilisi... Apparently, the Georgian authorities are afraid of economic pressure from Azerbaijan," Mr Gyulyalyev said, adding that Mukhtarly had published materials on corruption and human rights violations in Azerbaijan in various outlets, including the "Meydan" TV.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.