Baku protester claims beating by police

The Baku residents detained after a protest against policemen's raids to detain quarantine violators have been exposed to administrative arrests. One of them claims that he was beaten up after detention.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 8, about 50 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan conducted a special operation in the Yeni Yasamaly residential complex in Baku. 11 people were delivered to the police station. According to the police, the detainees were throwing various items from the balconies at the law enforcers, who were detaining quarantine violators.

On June 8, a video was spread in social networks, in which a police officer speaks in raised voice with a female-resident of a house in the Yeni Yasamal residential area, where detentions of protesters were held.

On June 9, Gyulyar Suleimanova, the heroine of the video, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her two sons, Elvin and Kerim Suleimanov, were detained during the special operation.

The woman insists on her sons' innocence. "Elvin came out to noise; while Kerim was not at all on the balcony. Policemen, without getting into details, detained them. We live in the sixth level, but they threw down garbage from upper levels," Ms Suleimanova has explained.

The Suleimanov brothers have been sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest each, Djavad Djavadov, their advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In the evening on June 9, Kerim Suleimanov was released from custody for health reasons. He told reporters that physical pressure was exerted on him.

"I was beaten up for five hours. There were probably 30 of them. I was beaten even after I told them that I had had a lung surgery; and my lungs could be broken," Kerim said.

According to his story, the other ten of his detained neighbours were also beaten up.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 10, 2020 at 02:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.