Appeal court fails to release French citizen

On 16 December, the Baku Court of Appeal, presided over by Ibrahim Ibrahimli, considered the complaint of a French citizen who, with two other foreigners, drew graffiti on underground cars in Baku Metro in March this year.

Clerc Theo Hugo, a French citizen, De-Saint Quentin Ismael, a New Zealand citizen, and Han Paul, an Australian citizen, were charged in the criminal case.

After the incident, all three were arrested administratively, but later the prosecutor appealed against this decision and they were brought to the criminal case.  At the same time, the Frenchman was arrested during the investigation, while the other two remained free.

On 19 September, the court sentenced the French citizen to 3 years of imprisonment, and Ismael and Paul were fined 6,800 manats (about 3,500 euros).The latter two later withdrew their appeals.

Hugo, repenting of his offence, asked to have his punishment commuted to a fine like the other defendants in the case. However, the state prosecutor objected, and the court upheld the sentence of the Frenchman, who had earlier written a petition for pardon to the President of Azerbaijan.

Today, the Court of Appeal was also inexorable, upholding the Frenchman's sentence.