Court Decides to Hear Aziz Orujov's Case Without Journalists

On January 24, the Sabail District Court continued the trial of Aziz Orujov, the head of the online publication Kanal-13. According to lawyer Fahraddin Mehdiyev, at the beginning of the  hearing, the judge rejected a petition filed at the previous hearing to transfer Orujov to house arrest. The defense then petitioned for journalists to be allowed into the trial and for conditions to be created for them to conduct filming.

However, Judge Günel Samedova stated that there was no need for the presence of journalists, and they could obtain information from the court’s press service. The defense argued that not allowing journalists violated the principle of court transparency. Furthermore, Orujov himself is a journalist and was arrested specifically for his professional work, making the case of heightened public interest. However, Judge Samedova was adamant and rejected the petitions.

Due to the absence of a representative from the victim side – a staff member of the State Real Estate Register Service – two witnesses were heard.

One witness was a worker who had participated in the construction of the building and simply confirmed that he was involved in the work assigned by Orujov. The other witness withdrew his earlier testimony from the preliminary investigation, where he had claimed that Orujov had allegedly caused environmental damage and harmed greenery. The testimonies of both witnesses did not confirm any guilt on Orujov’s part concerning the alleged crime, said the lawyer.

The next court session is scheduled for February 5.

*Aziz Orujov was arrested on November 27, 2023, on charges of illegal construction. Later, he was charged under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of persons with prior conspiracy) of the Criminal Code. However, following the preliminary investigation, the smuggling charges were dropped.

The case was sent to court solely under Article 188.2 (Illegal construction without ownership rights) of the Criminal Code, for which he faces up to three years of restricted freedom or imprisonment. Orujov denies the charges. Human rights activists have recognized him as a political prisoner.