Akhsan Nuruzade sentenced to 2 months of administrative arrest (updated)

The court sentenced Akhsan Nuruzade to 2 months of administrative arrest, said lawyer Fakhraddin Mekhtiyev. At the same time, two days were deducted taking into account the time spent in custody.

According to the court’s decision, at the end of his arrest, Nuruzade must be sent for compulsory treatment for drug addiction.

The court did not take into account that he has two children in his care after the death of his wife, and that he has a seriously ill heart.

According to the lawyer, Nuruzade categorically denied the charge of drug use and pointed to the falsification of the drug test report. He said that if the appellate court does not overturn this decision, he will go on a hunger strike.

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Religious Activist Accused of Drug Use

Ahsan Nuruzade, an activist of the “Muslim Unity” Movement, was brought to the Narimanov District Court of Baku in the afternoon of October 29, as reported by his lawyer, Fahraddin Mehdiev. He has been charged with an administrative offense under Article 206 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which pertains to the “Illegal use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, manufacturing, acquiring, storing, transporting, or sending them not for the purpose of sale in quantities necessary for personal use.” This article stipulates a fine of 300 to 400 manats (approximately $180 to $240) or up to two months of detention, the lawyer explained.

Nuruzade was detained by plainclothes individuals on October 26, but the police officially confirmed his detention only on October 28. Today, Nuruzade was taken for a narcological examination. Attempts to obtain comments from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were unsuccessful.

In 2017, Nuruzade was arrested twice on administrative charges, and in October of the same year, he was accused of illegal drug trafficking and sentenced to seven years in prison. Human rights organizations have recognized him as a political prisoner.