Human rights court awards Azeri opposition leader damages for torture in custody

Sardar Jalaloglu, secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Party, was detained in October, 2003, after riots sparked by the election of Ilham Aliev to succeed his father as president left one dead and dozens injured. Jalaloglu's party considered the presidential elections to be illegitimate.

The authorities cracked down on opposition leaders they blamed for the violence, and Jalaloglu was sentenced to three years in prison. He was, however, released early after getting presidential pardon.

Jalaloglu complained he had been beaten on the soles of his feet by masked policemen with truncheons, tortured and threatened with rape, leaving him temporarily disabled. The European Court of Human Rights upheld his complaint, and also ruled that the Azeri authorities failed to properly investigate the incident. It awarded Jalaloglu some ?2,000 ($2,600) in court expenses. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/