Appeal court keeps Aziz Orujev in custody

Baku/08.01.24/Turan: The Baku Court of Appeal on 8 January rejected an appeal against the refusal to place the head of "Kanal-13" Internet TV Aziz Orujev under house arrest.

Lawyer Aghil Laij told Turan that the defence had no illusions about the possibility of a positive decision. However, such a complaint had to be filed in order to further appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Laij stressed that Orujev does not plead guilty to the incriminated articles of the Criminal Code and linked the criminal case to his journalistic activities.

*Orujev was detained on 27 November and charged under Article 188.2 (illegal construction). The next day the court arrested him for three months.

On 19 December he was charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling by prior conspiracy by a group of persons) of the Criminal Code. Orujev faces up to eight years of imprisonment.

As a reminder, Aziz Orujev had already been sentenced in 2017 to 6 years of imprisonment on charges of illegal entrepreneurship. In 2018, the Supreme Court reviewed the punishment and cancelled the conviction. -16B06-