Mekhman Galandarov

Affiliated media: Blogger, Political activist

Incident date: April 28, 2017

Attack type:

• Search without a court decree

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: contact.az

Location: Azerbaijan, Baku

Additional information:

On 7th February the blogger and political activist Mekhman Galandarov was arrested. For several days police released no information on the details of his arrest. After a few days it became known that Galandarov was accused under article 234.2 (unlawful possession of narcotic materials with the intention to sell) of the criminal code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A preventive measure was taken against him in the form of detention for a period of three months before the trial. The blogger dismissed the charges and said his arrest was related to participation in anti-government protests in Baku and the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as well as harsh criticism of the government on social media. On 28th April, about three months after his arrest, the blogger died in the Kurdakhan detention center. Galandarov's body was secretly buried without informing his relatives or the public. There was no way to find out if there were any signs of violence on his body. According to an official statement, the blogger committed suicide by hanging. A criminal case has been opened over the blogger's death. As a result of the proceedings, it was announced that the blogger really did commit suicide.