Avaz Zeynalli Refuses to Participate Further in the Trial

On Wednesday, at the Baku Serious Crimes Court chaired by Ramella Allahverdiyeva, a continuation on the case against the editor of "Khural" newspaper, Avaz Zeynalli.

According to the editor of the on-line version of the newspaper, Afgan Mukhtarly, today the court considered 14 requests of Zeynalli.

The first petition was on bringing to court, for a second time, the son of ex-deputy, Gular Ahmedova, and bringing him to justice for false testimony. The judge refused to grant the application, and the journalist protested.

Next Zeynalli petitioned to bring to court the investigator who conducted the preliminary investigation, Habil Gasimov. Prosecutor Ramazan Hadi objected to this.

This provoked an emotional reaction from Zeynalli, who threw the Criminal Procedure Code to the floor exclaiming, "Come and trample it, you still trample laws!." Next Zeynalli said he would no longer participate in the trial. 

The court adjourned, and afterwards the court clerk announced that the trial was postponed indefinitely.

The trial in the case of Zeynalli has lasted since May 2012. He was arrested on October 28, 2011 on a complaint from deputy Gular Akhmedova, on an extortion bribe.

In addition to Articles 311.3.3 (bribery for a large amount) and 311.3.4 (getting bribery by intimidation), Zeynalli is also charged with failure in judgment and tax evasion.

Currently, however, Akhmedova herself is accused of fraud in the case of the sale of seats in parliament.

Moreover, relatives of Sevinj Babayeva, another  involved in the scandal, who died in Turkey, have accused Akhmedova in being involved in her death.—16B06-