Ali Kerimli says he was beaten up after detention

Ali Kerimli, the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has stated that after he was detained at a rally, he was beaten up several times.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that authorities allowed the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) to hold a rally on October 19 in a Baku suburb. However, activists decided to gather near a metro station in one of Baku squares. At the oppositional rally, law enforcers conducted mass detentions. According to the opposition, about a hundred people were detained.

Ali Kerimli, the PFPA leader, has stated on air of the US-based Internet television "Osmangyzy TV", that after detention he was handcuffed and beaten up twice in a police bus.

After that, according to Kerimli, he was brought to a police station.

"There, they demanded from me to state to a video camera that I stopped the fight with the Azerbaijani authorities. When I refused to do this, they put me face down on the floor. There were several of them; they held my arms and legs; and one of them stepped on my throat – I began choking, "he said.

According to Kerimli, he stayed in that room for about an hour. "After that, they washed the room off my blood and took me to the hospital for examination," he said.

According to his story, after the examination he was told that "there were no serious problems" and "his internal organs were not damaged." At the same time, six stitches were placed on his head.

Ali Kerimli has stated on air of the Internet TV channel that, in spite of everything, he would continue his fight for the democratic future of Azerbaijan and was ready to sacrifice even his life in this struggle.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 20, 2019 at 01:13 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.