Queried about the presence of four other officers, Memedov reportedly responded: "It just turned out that way."
According to Zenchenko, four local witnesses unexpectedly maintained that they did not actually see the alleged beating, but only heard about it from people at the market, teahouse or Memedov, who pressured them into testifying. The Baptist Union leader also told Forum 18 that the court ignored the absence of evidence proving that the policemen's bruises and scratches were caused by Balaev rather than sport or gardening.
According to Aliabad church members, police demanded that worship be stopped, the congregation disperse and Balaev accompany them to the police station on 20 May, which he did peacefully. They and other villagers categorically deny the police accusations that the pastor attacked them.
Pastor Balaev was initially accused by police of setting a dog onto them during the raid. The congregation vehemently denies this accusation. When more than 50 people, including villagers who are not Christian, signed a statement testifying to the Pastor's innocence "the dog completely disappeared from the accusation," Zenchenko of the Baptist Union told Forum 18 on 12 July.
The authorities then changed their accusation to allege that Balaev, described by Zenchenko as a "thin man," beat up five "strong" policeman and damaged a police car door. Like the original accusation, the authorities' latest version of events is also strongly denied by the church.
Pastor Balaev has been in detention since 20 May, and there is increasing concern about his deteriorating health. Born with a heart defect, he suffered heart attacks on 23 July and 5 August, Zenchenko told Forum 18, and is also experiencing kidney pain. On 4 June the pastor was transferred from the police station in Zakatala to the city of Gyanja [Gäncä], 250 kilometres (150 miles) away.
According to the Baptist Union leader, he is being kept there in what is colloquially known as the "frog pool" ("lyagushatnik"), a remand cell where detainees normally spend only a few hours or days. "The conditions there are terrible - there is no proper toilet or ventilation," Zenchenko explained. The Baptists expect that Balaev will remain in the "frog pool" until his appeal is heard.
While in jail, Balaev has been beaten by police. His family has had to go into debt to pay to take food to him, and the authorities have denied his family the opportunity to meet him since his arrest.
The Baptists now suspect that there may be an additional financial motivation for Balaev's prosecution. According to Zenchenko, Gyanja prison workers have been ridiculing the nature of the pastor's "brotherhood", seeing that it is not prepared to pay a bribe for his release. In what is common practice in Azerbaijan, he told Forum 18, the going rate to buy someone out of prison is 5,000 US Dollars. Zenchenko believes that Balaev could have been seen as a lucrative target because he owns land and a tractor.
