Azerbaijani oppositionist Amirov pleads not guilty

A court has started to consider a case against Ruslan Amirov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who was charged under several criminal articles after a protest action in Baku. The defence called the charges unfounded, and Ruslan Amirov himself pleaded not guilty.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in October 2020, Ruslan Amirov was detained and charged with violating public order at an unsanctioned march in Baku on July 15 and causing harm to the health of a public officer. The PFPA considered the criminal cases instituted against Ruslan Amirov and other party members as fabricated.

The accusations are based on the fact that people burst into the parliament building during the rally, advocate Bakhruz Bairamov reports. However, according to him, Ruslan Amirov did not participate in the above actions and "no evidence of him committing illegal actions was presented."

Rufat Safarov, the executive director of the NGO "Line of Defence", also sees political motives in the case against Ruslan Amirov. "The charges against Ruslan Amirov were brought three months after the events. This fact strengthens the suspicion that investigators got a political order. Ruslan Amirov became the second detained person from the group of bodyguards who guarded PFPA leader Ali Kerimli at public events. Earlier, Niyameddin Akhmedov has been arrested ... PFPA members are arrested more often than other activists, and this is obviously connected with their harsh criticism of the authorities," Rufat Safarov said.

Let us remind you that Ruslan Amirov was also arrested for 30 days in April 2020.