Oppositionists link Abbasov's arrest with his criticism of Azerbaijan President

Elmir Abbasov, a member of the "Nida" movement, has refused to plead guilty of a drug-related offense. The opposition believes that Abbasov is being persecuted because of his post about the corruption nature of Ilham Aliev's regime.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Elmir Abbasov, an activist and a member of the "Nida" movement, was arrested for 30 days on charges of illegal drug use.

"Abbasov has stated that he is prosecuted for his critical publications on the Facebook; he was detained when he went out to the store to buy bread," Elchin Sadygov, an advocate, has stated.

According to the advocate, after detention, Abbasov's rights were violated – he was deprived of the opportunity to invite an advocate of his choice and contact his relatives. The defence has prepared a complaint against his arrest.

"Elmir is an active 'Nida' member; he was detained more than once for participating in protests and posts in social networks. However, he was arrested for the first time," said Turgut Gambar, a board member of the "Nida" movement.

Emin Guseinov, the director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), has called "Nida" the most active youth organization in Azerbaijan over the past decade.