MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
POLICE OFFICERS GUILTY OF VIOLENCE AND TORTURES
Mirgafar Seidov
Police Major-General Mirgafar Seidov, chief of the Main Department of Baku city Police (MDBP) personally directed the torture of a number of political prisoners. Bayram Mammadov and Giyas Ibrahimov, “monument prisoners”, were also brutally tortured in the MDBP and Migafar Seidov personally took part in this abuse.
Bairam Mammadov and Giyas Ibrahimov were charged with drug dealing. However, the real reason for their arrest was spraying graffiti on the monument to Heydar Aliyev, the father of President Ilham Aliyev.
Photos of the monument to Heydar Aliyev, located in the park in the center of Baku, with graffiti inscriptions on the pedestal were published on May 10 on social networks and some online publications. The inscription, in Azeri, read: “Qul bayramınız mübarək!” (Happy Holiday of Slaves!). 10th of May is a birthday of Heydar Aliyev and is celebrated by the Azeri government under the “motto” “Holiday of Flowers” – “Gül Bayramı” hence word play Gül – Qul (Flower – Slave). The Other side of the pedestal had an English inscription: “F … k the system!”. These Inscriptions were later erased, and a police guard was posted at the monument. See: http://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/283053/
Below are excerpts from a handwritten letter Bayram Mammadov wrote on May 16, 2016, and passed on by his lawyer Elchin Sadikhov.
To the advocate Sadigov Elchin Ali oglu from the accused Mamedov Bayram Farman oglu
Statement of torture against me
“On May 10, 2016 at around 14.00-15.00, three people in civilian clothes forced me into a white SUV car and brought me to the 12th police station and in to the chief of the police’s office with 8 civilian dressed people present.
They began to beat me with their hands, fists, and legs. They were asking why I photographed the monument, who are my accomplices, while continuously beating me.
I could not hear much because of the beating and lost consciousness. Being unconscious I could not remember the shape and brand of the car which was used to take me to MDBP, where they again began to beat me, in order for me to admit the charges of drugs dealing brought against me.
When I said that it was not true, and I have never even seen any drugs, they stated that they could not arrest me for photographing the monument, and they started to beat me with even more anger, so that I would admit a false accusation of drugs … …
And when they threatened that they would strip my trousers and would commit indecent acts on me with a police club, I was forced to admit false accusations of drugs, and gave such explanations and testimonies as they demanded.
Then they took me to the general (Major-General Mirgafar Seyidov) and said that if I bring flowers to the monument, give an interview to AzTV and ask for forgiveness from the monument, they’ll let me go. When I refused, they took me away and beat me again. Then, at about 00.30 am, I was brought to Narimanov’s district Temporary Detenion Center. … .. .. ..
For more, see: Bairam Mammadov’s story of Police Torture Published on 05/17/2016
https://www.meydan.tv/en/site/opinion/14506/
For details about Bayram Mammadov\s and Giyas Ibrahimov’s case, see:
List of political prisoners on November 15, 2016. 160 people
http://ipdthinktank.org/Azerbaijan Political prisoners 15_nov_2016_EN.pdf