To Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Civil Rights Defenders
Resolution by the participants of the virtually held demonstration entitled ”Freedom for the son of the homeland”.
We, as representatives of various ethnic backgrounds, appeal to you as citizens and residents of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, UK, France, Italy, Spain, USA, Nigeria, Israel, and the UAE who have risen in defense of the world-famous businessman and philanthropist Mubariz Gurban oglu Mansimov. Six months have passed since his arrest on trumped-up charges. He has spent this time in Istanbul’s Silivri, despite having undergone heart surgery on 15 March 2020, the day before his detention, leaving him particularly vulnerable in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mubariz Mansimov is the owner of the Palmali Group of companies, including one of the largest shipping companies in the world, and employs 40,000 people. He was on the Forbes list of 500 wealthiest people in the world in 2015, but uses his wealth to help others by financing the education of 20,000 students and investing millions of dollars in Azerbaijan and Turkey. He has been falsely accused of being supported of the Gulen Movement by four former employees. In reality, his arrest is a political decision aimed at expropriating his wealth, scuttling his businesses, and physically destroying him. Mubariz Mansimov was arrested in an unlawful raid on his home on 15 March 2020. Furthermore, the judge presiding over his initial hearing was changed in the middle of the night to ensure that the desired judgment could be reached in his case. No investigation took place in the first three months of Mubariz Mansimov’s detention. The date of the start of his trial was only announced after another three months, which is set to take place on 15 September 2020. His lawyers have familiarised themselves with the case and believe that there is no evidence for many of the allegations made against him. They have demanded that he be released from pre-trial detention to house arrest on six separate occasions, but their appeals have been rejected, providing further proof of the political nature of his arrest. Information is leaked to add even more pressure on him, with rumors spreading of trial dates being changed or postponed indefinitely. This suggests that the aim is his destruction. Mubariz Mansimov writes about this himself from prison: “ I have been unjustly kept in this prison, a place I do not deserve to be in, because of the trumped-up allegations against me. What I do not understand, and what to which I’d like to draw your attention in particular, is that it has been four years since these people left my company. Why has it taken these people four years to become lying witnesses?! Am I a traitor or a terrorist? Why did it take them four years to make these disgusting slanderous allegations against me? I see from the information I received every day, that the situation in my companies worsens from day to day. The captains and crew out at sea, as well as their families are living through difficult days. My monthly payments to people I support have been stopped and the bursaries granted to students have been frozen. These financial and psyochological difficulties are getting worse every day. For this reason, I want to apologise to you”. Since his detention, Mubariz Mansimov has lost 20kg and developed psychological problems. This is partly a result of the lies told to him by investigators about alleged financial difficulties being experienced by his businesses. These lies about the impending bankruptcy of his businesses are echoed by the SOCAR (State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan) funded Kanal Global TV channel’s news reports. Mubariz Mansimov’s release from prison has become a priority for many Azerbaijanis and their friends across the world. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people appeal to the leaders and officials of Azerbaijan and Turkey through social media, pleading Mubariz Mansimov’s innocence. Turkish and Azerbaijani politicians, business people, military offiers and parliamentary members constantly call for Mubariz Mansimov’s release on the Sweden-based SAMM TV and Azerbaijan-based Umud TV channels. A Facebook group dedicated to his release, which is run from Turkey, has tens of thousands of members and hosts frequent live streams to inform members of Mubariz Mansimov’s case. MG TV – a YouTube channel – as well as the SHA news agency use Facebook and YouTube to speak with guests calling for Mubariz Mansimov’s release. Despite these efforts, our calls remain unanswered. Public opinion remains ignored. We, 300 supporters of Mubariz Mansimov’s freedom taking part in this online Zoom meeting, call on the international community to strengthen our voice.Sincerely, the participants of the ”Freedom for the son of the homeland” Zoom meeting. 9 August 2020