Azerbaijani pro-democracy activist Nijat Amiraslanov has alleged that he was tortured by the Azerbaijani police after being detained on the testimony of a former journalist who he had previously helped to flee the country but was now allegedly co-operating with the country's authoritarian regime.
Amiraslanov, a member of the NIDA civic movement, said he was abducted from his home on 16 June and subjected to torture before being released the following day.
Speaking to OC Media, Amiraslanov said his detention followed the return to the country of former Azerbaijani journalist Shirin Abbasov (also known as Tire), who he claims testified against him. Abbasov had previously sought asylum in Germany following a government crackdown on independent media and civil society in Azerbaijan in 2015. Abbasov, who had worked with investigative media Meydan TV and AbzasMedia, announced his return to Azerbaijan to his former colleagues, raising suspicions that he had begun cooperating with authorities.
Exiled Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli claims that Abbasov intended to testify against independent media as part of the ongoing media crackdown: 'We learned about that at the beginning of the month. Rather, he said it himself. We did everything to prevent him from returning, but Shirin did it. While in Berlin, he made it clear that he was cooperating with the [Azerbaijani] authorities,' Mukhtarli wrote on Facebook.
Following Amiraslanov's release, Mukhtarli claimed that he was working for authorities from the very beginning of his exile. In 2015, Abbasov was detained for a month after the government raided Meydan TV, accusing the organisation of illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion and abuse of power.
For his part, Abbasov claimed he was tortured by police to testify against Meydan TV and was released on the condition that he spy on his colleagues, a condition he said he refused. He then asked Amiraslanov to help him escape from Azerbaijan due to travel restrictions imposed on Meydan TV employees.
On the day of his abduction, Amiraslanov stepped out to receive a delivery. His mother reported to Meydan TV that he disappeared after saying he would return in five minutes. Authorities remained silent on his whereabouts until his release on the afternoon of 17 June.
Amiraslanov told OC Media that he was warned not to discuss his detention with the media. Amiraslanov described being kidnapped while waiting for a courier.
'I was tracking my bag online and when the courier called me and said he was arriving, I went outside and told him that I was waiting outside. At that moment, someone jumped me, put a bag over my head, and I was arrested,' he said.
He recounted being tortured with electric shocks until he lost consciousness, waking up with a bleeding nose.
Amiraslanov was also reportedly tortured in 2017 after criticizing the authorities on social media. He is also the husband of Elnara Gasimli, a journalist currently investigated as part of the Abzas Media case.
According to NGO Human Rights Watch, 'Torture and ill-treatment remain common in police custody, with human rights groups and the media reporting on credible allegations of torture. Impunity for torture and ill-treatment remains the norm.'
