Today the Baku Appeal Court separately considered the request of two arrested NIDA activists, Rashadat Akhundov and Uzeyir Mammadov. They are charged under Article 228.3 (illegal possession of explosives in an organized group). Lawyers applied for abolition of the first instance court for the incarceration of the activists and replace this measure with other forms of punishment, which would have them released pending trial. However, the judge dismissed the request and ordered that the accused be retained in custody.
According to lawyer Namiq Hajiyev, the court did not take into account the positive response from BP, Akhundov’s employer. After his arrest, Akhundov was not fired from the company. The defense also presented a positive endorsement from his place of residence.
Fahraddin Mehdiev, lawyer for Mammadov, also said his client's continued detention was unjustified. However, the court made a similar decision.
On March 7, activists Bakhtiyar Guliyev, Shahin Novruzlu and Mahammad Azizov were arrested. They were accused of preparing acts of violence during the upcoming protest on March 10 against the soldiers' deaths. According to investigators, explosives and drugs were found in the apartments of the accused. However, their relatives said that employees of law enforcement bodies brought these substances and placed them in the apartments.
On March 14, another NIDA activist, Rashad Hasanov, was arrested. International human rights organization Amnesty International has recognized the arrested as "prisoners of conscience."
On March 30, two members of the NIDA board, Rashadat Akhundov and Uzeyir Mammadov were arrested and on April 1, Zaur Gurbanli was arrested..—16C06
Politics
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Head of the External Relations and Security Service of the EU Josep Borrel rejected the accusations against him and European countries made by the head of Azerbaijan at the COP29 conference the previous day.
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On Thursday, President Ilham Aliyev received the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, who arrived to participate in the COP29 climate conference.
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today issued five rulings on applications from Azerbaijan. The case of "Afgan Mammadov v. Azerbaijan" concerned the complainant's exclusion from the Bar Association. Mammadov was expelled based on a complaint filed by a colleague, which he considered unjust. The ECHR ruled that Mammadov's rights had been violated and ordered Azerbaijan to pay him €5,000 in compensation for moral damage and €1,000 to cover legal costs.
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During the ongoing COP29 climate conference in Baku on November 14, a group of activists staged a protest condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The activists also denounced countries that supply oil and weapons to nations waging aggressive wars. The protest featured placards with slogans such as: "From fossil fuels to peace!", "End war crimes!", "Punish the aggressor!", and "Phase out fossil fuel use to achieve peace!" among others.
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