Joshgun Musayev- resident of Soyudlu village

Joshgun Musayev- resident of Soyudlu village Date of arrest: 22 June 2023 100 Charge: Article 234.4.3 (Illegal manufacturing, purchase, storage, transportation, transfer or selling of narcotics, psychotropic substances committed in large amount) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.

On 23 June 2023, the Baku City Narimanov District Court sentenced Joshgun Musayev to a 4- month-term of imprisonment for the period of the preliminary investigation in a pre-trial detention center.

The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended several times Sentence: On 7 August 2024, the Baku City Court for Serious Crimes issued a verdict: since the prosecution failed to provide any convincing evidence in the course of the trial, the Judge substituted the previous Article of the Prosecution with a new one, 234.1-1 (Illegal acquisition or storage of drugs or psychotropic substances without the purpose of sale in an amount exceeding the amount necessary for personal consumption, committed in a large amount) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.

And afterwards Joshgun Musayev was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment Judge: Eldar Ismayilov Conclusion: According to the initial report, based on operative information provided by the Department for Combating Organised Crime of the Baku City, it became known that a certain Joshgun Musayev (born in 1990) had been engaged in the drug trade.

After that, the police carried out an operation and detained Joshgun Musayev in Baku near ‘Narimanov' metro station in the morning of 22 June 2023.

He was brought to the police department, where during the search 6.4 grammes of heroin was found in.

However, during the trial, Joshgun Musayev stated that the reason for his arrest was the production of posters that were raised during the protests in Soyudlu.

He had been punished for that by falsely slandering him for using drugs.

Further, he said that in fact on 21 June, both he and his wife went to the so-called ‘Dubai Market’ in the city of Ganja to buy construction materials.

Suddenly he received a call from someone who introduced himself as a police officer saying that they should meet.

"I am engaged in buying and selling phones, as well as making banners and posters." The man said that the police had questions about a phone that I had recently sold.

I asked my spouse to use the GetContact app to find out who had been calling.

She looked it up and found out that the phone number was labelled ‘Love DTX’ (translated from Azerbaijani as ‘Love SSS’, i.e.

State Security Service).

I asked my wife to go home and if I wouldn't be back before evening, she should call 102, that is, the police.

As soon as we parted, a man came to me and I was taken to the Ganja branch of the SSS.

They started interrogating me about the events in Soyudlu village.

They asked me directly, ‘Did you make the posters?' I told them 'yes, I did.' I made a lot of posters in connection with that village: about the victims and heroes of the Karabakh war, as well as about the history of the village.

After keeping me for a while, they then told me that they would take me to Baku and afterwards let me go home.

I wanted to inform my family, but they did not allow me to do it’.

According to Joshgun Musayev, they further took away and switched off his phone, which, along with the keys, was put into an envelope and sealed.

After that he was taken to Baku to the Department for Combating Organised Crime within the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs.

There, he was asked when and how he had made those posters.

Then, early in the morning, at around 9 o'clock three policemen brought him to ‘Narimanov’ park. ‘I was said that there was a man involved in the protests in Soyudlu, do I know him? I sat down on a bench and saw that I was being filmed.

I didn't understand anything.

After that I was brought back to the department and they gave me a package telling me to acknowledge it as mine.

Of course, I refused." 101 Further, Joshgun Musayev said that he had been subjected to threats and psychological pressure forcing him to sign a recognition that the drugs were his.

He also indicated that he had not been allowed to talk to his family members for 40 days after his arrest.

GROUP № 7 POLITICAL EMIGRANTS DEPORTED FROM EUROPE – 7 persons