Well-known human rights activist denied mitigation of preventive measure in Azerbaijan

A court in Baku rejected a motion to replace detention in a pre-trial detention center with house arrest for human rights activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. The accused also asked to be taken out of the glass cage and placed next to the lawyers. However, the judge did not grant this request.

Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested at the end of 2022 on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. Later, he was charged with new articles on illegal business, legalization of proceeds from crime, falsification of documents and smuggling. The accusations are related to Gadzhiev receiving grants from a European human rights organization.

Representatives of the US State Department, the European Union, the Council of Europe and a number of international NGOs have repeatedly demanded the release of the activist.

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