Investigation into death of Mammedov from Azerbaijan

* Photo: Twitter

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The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the suspicious death of Azerbaijani anarchist Bayram Mammedov, who was a dissident of Azerbaijan's Aliyev regime.

Speaking to bianet about the issue, Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) İstanbul Branch Chair lawyer Çiğdem Akbulut has said that Bayram Mammedov's family wants to learn what happened to their son, adding that they will follow up the investigation into his death.

Witnesses say 'he drowned in sea'

On May 2, 2021, the dead body of an unidentified man was taken out of the water by coast guards in Moda, Kadıköy.

In their witness statements, the security guards of Moda park said that they saw a man sitting on his own at the sea side and warned him about the coronavirus curfew. They also said that the man stood up, his slipper fell into the water and he jumped in afterwards. According to what they said, the man started drowning all of a sudden while going after his slipper.

The dead body could be identified after Bayram Mammedov's friends reported him missing. After his friends were reached through this report and they came to identify him, it was understood that the deceased person was 25-year-old Bayram Mammedov from Azerbaijan.

His family stated that the news about the death of Mammedov was reported in the Azerbaijani press as "suicide" before there were any documents about the incident, even before there was an examination report on the deceased. Thinking that his death is suspicious as a result of this, they have come to İstanbul to take the deceased and to follow up the investigation.

Lawyer Çiğdem Akbulut has indicated that the incident might be an accident, but the "suicide" news in the press have made the family suspicious.

Arrested, tortured in Azerbaijan

Bayram Mammedov was arrested in 2016 on the grounds that he and his friends wrote "Happy Slaves Day" on a memorial of Haydar Aliyev, the father of Azerbaijan's President İlham Aliyev. He was released with an amnesty in 2019; however, the detentions and arrests did not end there. Lawyer Akbulut has said that Bayram was tortured every time he was detained.

He came to İstanbul in December to break this cycle of detention-torture. He was interrogated for a long time when he arrived at the airport.

He started to go to a language course in İstanbul, he was preparing to go to the United Kingdom (UK) in summer for his MA studies as he was accepted by a school. Therefore, his family does not believe that Bayram, who wanted to continue his education, committed suicide.

An investigation has been launched into the death of Mammedov, the camera footage is now collected. "Drowning in water" is the only information indicated in the examination report on the deceased. Lawyer Akbulut has said that the autopsy report will be issued in nearly 3 months. (AS/SD)