A Baku-based office of Azerbaijani opposition movement Democracy 1918 (D18) was subjected to police raid, with its members interrogated on the spot, the chairman Ahmad Mammadli wrote on Facebook on March 16.
Mammadli stated that this was not the first time the office was raided by the local police, and it is under daily watch of plainclothes police.
According to Mammadli, on March 15 three officers entered the office, without introducing themselves, and first claimed that “a complaint was filed by neighbors”, and then said that it was “for the purpose of pandemic-related monitoring”.
“Then after getting a call from “the top”, they asked us if there is a camera in the office or not, and what activities we are doing. Then they claimed that we evade taxes and the office is not a safe space for people and threatened with charging us on drug and terrorism related made up charges.”
Mammadli also informed that the movement decided to move out from the office in the coming days in order for the office owner not to come under scrutiny by the police.
