Azerbaijani rights defender Emin Guseinov hides in Swiss Embassy

The Azerbaijani rights defender Emin Guseinov, while fleeing the repression of country's authorities, since August 18, 2014, is forced to hide in the Swiss Embassy in Baku, says the Norwegian Foundation "Human Rights House" (HRH).

Guseinov disappeared, after the authorities had searched the office of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), headed by him, confiscated equipment and documentation, said Florian Irminger, the head of the Geneva office of the HRH.

"Saying that he is a Swiss citizen, Guseinov managed to escape police's persecution," Radio Liberty reports with reference to the SFR TV Channel.

The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has confirmed to the programme Rundscahu that Guseinov was granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. "Since then, we have been discussing, with the government and Azerbaijani officials, the way to settle down the situation," says the response of the MFA.

Switzerland should continue protecting Guseinov for humanitarian reasons, said Irminger.

The statement also points to Guseinov's serious health problems; many of them are the consequences of beatings up by the police in 2003 and 2008.

Pressure is also exerted on other employees of the IRFS. On January 26, Gyunay Ismailova, a lawyer of the IRFS, was attacked by unidentified assailants in the doorway of her house.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.