The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun inquiries into five cases from Azerbaijan related to torture.
These are the
cases
of Seymour Hazi, Mammad Azizov, Magrub Badalli, Abdulla Elbarsov and Murad Adilov.
The complaint of journalist Seymour Hazi is connected with his 7-day arrest during the protest on May 15, 2010 during which he was allegedly tortured.
Seymour Hazi has been
serving a prison sentence
since 2014 on charges of ‘hooliganism’, while he has been recognized as a political prisoner by international human rights organizations.
An inquiry has also been launched into the complaint of NIDA activist Mammad Azizov, who was tortured in the then-Ministry of National Security after his detention on March 7, 2013. He was detained before a protest on January 9, 2013, and was tortured in the 9th branch of the Sabail District Police Department of Baku.
Karabakh war veteran Magrub Badalli also claims he was tortured by police in Azerbaijan. In December 2010 a criminal case was brought against him on charges of hooliganism. He was allegedly tortured while under arrest.
Abdulla Elbarsov has lodged similar complaints.
Activist Murad Adilov, who was
detained
on August 11, 2014 by the Office of Drug Control of the Moscow Department of the Interior, says he too was tortured. Murad Adilov was convicted in May 2015 for a period of 6 years on charges of illicit drug trafficking. Murad is the brother of Natiq Adilov, an opposition journalist, the host of “Azerbaycan saati (Azerbaijani Hour) TV program.
All complaints relate to a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of torture) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In addition, the complaints raise questions about violation of rights under articles 10 (freedom of expression), 5 (right to liberty and security of the person) and 8 (right to respect for private and family life).
