Jamil Mammadli arrested

Baku/24.08.23/Turan: Today, by the Sumgayit Court for Serious Crimes, blogger Jamil Mammadli has been detained for the period of the judicial investigation, lawyer Fariz Namazli told Turan. 

According to him, Mammadli is charged under  the foolowing Articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan: 221.2.2 (hooliganism committed by a group of persons by prior agreement), 182.2.1 (extortion by threats by a group of persons, by prior agreement of property in a significant amount) and 178.2 (fraud committed by a group of persons.)

"Today there was a preparatory court session. The State Prosecutor and the injured persons petitioned to detain him under the pretext that he allegedly illegally exerts influence on the participants in the process. In particular, it distributes offensive content about them on social networks.

Thus, Jamil Mammadli, according to them, hinders the "legality" of the trial. However, the defense objected and pointed out that what Mammadli wrote on social networks is not related to the trial. In addition, not a single piece of evidence was presented to the court as to how Mammadli influences the participants in the  trial. Nevertheless, the court granted the petition and chose a preventive measure against Mammadli in the form of arrest until the end of the judicial investigation," Namazli said.

According to him, the accusation against Mammadli is based on three episodes. According to one of them, he is accused of hooliganism. It is alleged that he injured two persons after an accident in the Khachmaz district in December 2022.

As for "extortion" and "fraud", it is based on a complaint to the Gabibov family and other "victims".

"The applicant's mother was the head of the market and was killed in 2010 and this crime has not yet been solved. The applicants claim that in 2017 Mammadli called them and offered to influence the prosecutor's office to solve the crime and received 10 thousand manats from them for his service.

However, there is no evidence in the case confirming the transfer of this amount to Mammadli. There are also a number of other victims who claim that Mammadli extorted money from them in exchange for the removal of information discrediting these persons published by him from social networks.

However, the victims themselves confirm that they did not personally transfer money to Mammadli, but transferred it through a man named Dayanat. He himself admitted at the investigation that he received money, but he was not involved as an accused," the lawyer continued.

He noted that the Gabibov family insisted on Mammadli's arrest. "They have previously filed a complaint against him in court as a private criminal charge with a demand to arrest him.

However, the district court imposed a punishment in the form of correctional labor and after that they filed an appeal against this decision. Apparently, their goal is to get Mammadli arrested at any cost," the lawyer said. He called the court's decision to arrest Mammadli illegal.

"Because there is not a single piece of evidence against Jamil Mammadli. He did not evade summonses to appear in court, came to the investigation and court in a timely manner, has a permanent place of residence," the lawyer said. In his opinion, Mammadli's arrest is aimed at restricting his freedom of expression.

In turn, one of the applicants against Mammadli Fuad Gabibov told Turan that initially the Main Department of Investigation and Investigations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs chose a preventive measure against the blogger in the form of transfer under police supervision.

"Probably, his journalistic activity was taken into account. However, after the preliminary investigation was completed and the case was sent to the Sumgayit Court for Serious Crimes, he, violating the requirements of the law, began to influence witnesses, threatening them with the implementation and publication of recordings of their conversations. He mainly targeted our family, repeatedly threatened us with the distribution of certain video materials, insulted us," Gabibov said.

Mammadli previously collaborated with the Azerbaijani service of "Radio Liberty."

In recent years, he has been published mainly on social networks. At the same time, several defamation lawsuits were filed against him, including from the former head of the Guba district, according to which Mammadli was sentenced to correctional labor. ---06--