[Regnum] All eight Russian citizens who were previously detained in Azerbaijan on suspicion of drug transit from Iran, their distribution via the Internet, and cybercrime have been arrested. The corresponding decision was made by a court in Baku, the APA agency reported on July 1.
“In the Sabail District Court... a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of four months was chosen for eight detained Russian citizens,” the article clarified.
It is noted that the detainees appeared before the court separately.
Earlier, photographs emerged showing Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan on suspicion of drug trafficking. Their faces showed signs of beatings.
As reported by Regnum news agency, on June 30, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan announced that law enforcement agencies were conducting an operation in Baku at the office of the Sputnik agency, which is part of the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
On the same day, security forces detained the head of the editorial board of the Sputnik Azerbaijan agency Igor Kartavykh and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov in Baku. Sputnik representatives called the accusations leveled against the detainees that they are “FSB agents” absurd.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijani Ambassador Rahman Mustafayev against the backdrop of the illegal detention of Russian journalists and Baku's unfriendly actions. The Russian diplomatic mission recalled that Azerbaijan had no complaints against Russian journalists in previous years. The ambassador was given a verbal note demanding the immediate release of the agency's editorial board chief and editor-in-chief from custody.