Arrested Journalist Shamshad Aga Denied Release from Pre-Trial Detention for Relative's Memorial Service

Shamshad Aga (Aghayev)

On October 14, the Khatai District Court reviewed a petition to grant temporary leave from the Pre-Trial Detention Center (SIZO) to Shamshad Aga (Aghayev), the head of the arqument.az website and a person arrested in the Meydan TV case, so he could attend the memorial service for his 18-year-old niece.

The petition requested that Aga be released under convoy for a few hours to meet with close relatives and commemorate his niece.

However, the court did not satisfy the petition, according to the journalist's relatives.

It should be noted that on October 13, Ruslan Izzetli and Akif Gurbanov, detained members of the founding council of the "Third Republic" Platform, appealed to the President of Azerbaijan calling for the release of Shamshad Aga, the chief editor of argument.az, citing his wife's illness and his custody of two children.

The chief editor of the arqument.az website, Shamshad Aga (Aghayev), was arrested on February 5 in connection with the Meydan TV case.