Relatives of rights defender Emin Guseinov state deterioration of his health

The Azerbaijani rights defender Emin Guseinov, who has received temporary asylum in Switzerland, has serious health problems, his relatives assert. According to his brother Mekhman Guseinov, during Emin's stay in the Swiss Embassy, his "old diseases got aggravated."

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since August 18, 2014, Emin Guseinov was forced to hide in the Swiss embassy in Baku, fleeing from repressions.

Emin Guseinov has arrived in Switzerland and is in safety, said Florian Irminger, the former head of the Geneva office of the Human Rights House.

"Emin's health is strongly undermined, after he was seriously injured in October 2003 at dispersal of an opposition rally. He received severe head traumas and backbone injuries... In spite of all this, he tried to give all his energy to human rights work, often to the detriment of his health. In 2008, in a cafe in Baku, during the detention of the members of the "Che Guevara" Club, Emin was taken to the police and beaten up there; he had brain concussion," said Mekhman Guseinov.

After the rights defender was sheltered at the Swiss Embassy, his family members were exposed to pressure and were repeatedly brought to the prosecutor's office for questioning, said Mekhman Guseinov.

On June 19, Emin Guseinov himself gave an interview to the CNN, telling about the reasons of his stay at the Swiss Embassy. In his opinion, it is impossible to protect oneself against fraudulent charges in Azerbaijan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.