Complaint against jailed Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova driven by Azerbaijani MNS’s blackmail
The person under whose complaint well-known Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova was detained confessed that his actions were a result of blackmail. The mediator in the lawsuit against the well-known RFE/RL journalist, Tural Mustafayev, posted a sensational video statement on Facebook saying his complaint against the journalist was the result of the blackmail of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan and Prosecution employees, newspaper Azadlig reports.
In the video shot at home, Tural Mustafayev says that on October 20, 2014 he drank poison with an intention to commit suicide. Using his suicide attempt, the first deputy Prosecutor of Baku, Azer Askerov, and investigator Vagif Suleymanov made Mustafayev write a complaint against Ismayilova. On May 28, 2014 the Ministry of National Security installed a camera in the house Mustafayev rented.
“They started to blackmail me with that record. They said if I refused to file a lawsuit, the video recorded at my home would be published,” Mustafayev says.
On December 27, 2014 Mustafayev wrote on Facebook that he wanted to refrain from his claims against Ismayilova, and attempted to leave for Moscow. Still, the Prosecutor's office banned him to leave the country and he was detained by the Geychay district police. The Police and MNS officers took him from there to Baku and kept him in a rented apartment actually under house arrest. They beat him till February 14, 2015 demanding not to take back his complaint against Ismayilova. Later he was sent to the psychiatric hospital. This went on till February 28 when they let him go home. Meanwhile, the intelligence agencies hacked his Facebook profile and email.
According to the article, Mustafayev wrote a statement to the Prosecutor General, Zakir Garalov, on April 8 about withdrawing his complaint against Ismayilova, and he asked to cancel his travel ban.
''After this video message, I will either be kidnapped or arrested for the second time, I think,'' Mustafayev says.
Mustafayev also says in his video message that besides him, several other people have also been ''recruited'' in this case and have written complaint against Khadija Ismayilova.
''I once again declare that I have no claim against Khadija Ismayilova. The head of the MNS Antiterrorism center, General Ilgar Aliyev, and MNS officer Azer Majidov have threatened me for several times. They threatened me that if I withdrew my complaint against Ismayilova, I would have big problems. Nonetheless, I give up my claim against Ismayilova. They have stolen all of my materials from Facebook and email. I have not given any documents to the investigation. Now I have no way to withdraw my claim. I also stress that I am recording this video on my own will and without any pressure. This is our home and my son Tunjay Mustafayev is recording the video,'' the video statement says.
Related:
Khadija Ismayilova, journalist of Radio Liberty, arrested in Azerbaijan
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