On January 11, Baku’s local Sabail district prosecution informed Tofig Yagublu, prominent oppositionist who was severely beaten after a rally in December 2021, of that his request to launch a probe into his beating was declined. “The prosecution argued that there were no signs of torture on Tofig Yagublu’s images,” his daughter Nigar Hazi posted on Facebook.
Yagublu was detained by police on December 1 last year after attending a protest rally in Baku’s central Fountains Square in defense of fellow oppositionist in prison Saleh Rustamli, who at the time was on 26th day of his hunger strike. After several hours with no information on his whereabouts, Yagublu showed up with bruises on his face and swollen eyes. He told reporters at his home that he was beaten repeatedly in the police station and then in a car far from Baku, and demanded to say on camera that he gives up on his political struggle.
Next day Yagublu was interrogated at Sabail prosecution for four hours, and there had been no statement made by the latter since then.
After receiving answer from the prosecution on January 11, Yagublu himself took to Facebook to claim that inaction from the prosecution is a proof that his torture was ordered by President.
“There is only one meaning to concealing such an openly committed crime: those who get the orders should feel free, they can even kill Tofig Yagublu, no one will punish them,” he wrote.
