Ali Karimli’s bodyguard was tortured for 13 hours

The chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), Ali Karimli, said that Novruz Tagiyev, who worked as a security guard on public grounds, was tortured for 13 hours on the day he was detained by the police. Ali Karimli wrote on his Facebook page that Novruz Tagiyev was detained by four plainclothes police officers on May 20 when he picked up his child from school and was taken around Baku in a car for 9 hours, handcuffed. Novruz Tagiyev’s lawyer, Nemat Karimli, said that at around 8:00 PM that day, his client was taken to the Yasamal District Police Department, where he was held until midnight. According to the lawyer, a person named Nijat complained about Taghiyev, who worked as an intermediary in the purchase and sale of houses: “Novruz helped Nijat find a house and accepted a deposit of 1,000 manat from him, and gave part of it to the landlord. Then one day, Nijat, along with a person he introduced as his brother-in-law, came to the office where Novruz worked and wanted to give him perfume and a bundle of money. Novruz did not accept the money, and the perfume remained on the table. The police also say that Nijat complained to the police about the theft of 71,000 manats through fraud.” Nemat Karimli said that an appeal had been filed in this regard. Ali Karimli called the accusation against his bodyguard “fabricated, shameless, and purposeful deception.” On May 20, information spread about the disappearance of two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Azerbaijan (PFPA) – Ali Karimli’s bodyguard Novruz Taghiyev and a member of the Khatai district branch, Rashad Aliyev. It later became known that a criminal case was opened against Novruz Tagiyev under Article 178.2 (fraud – abuse of trust or seizure of another’s property or acquisition of property rights by deception) and he was sentenced to 4 months of preventive detention and taken to the Kurdakhani Investigation and Detention Center. Rashad Aliyev was given 25 days of administrative detention by the court. It was not disclosed what he was specifically accused of. 20 members of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan are currently in prison. Although the members face various charges, the party announced that all of them were arrested on political orders.