The Baku Court of Grave Crimes today completed the trial of the chief editor of the site azadxeber.org Nijat Aliyev and 9 others accused of illegal possession of drugs and weapons, inciting sectarian strife, calling for the seizure of power, and distributing banned religious literature.
The defendants were charged with distribution of video criticism against holding in Baku Eurovision SC and a possible gay pride parade. The investigation saw in the footage anti-government appeals and signs of inciting sectarian strife, etc.
Nijat Aliyev was sentenced to 10 years in prison , Elvin Nasirov - to 9 years , Emin Tofig - to 3 years and 2 months , Samir Huseynov - to 6 years , Elimkhan Huseynov - to 7 years , Jeyhun Safarli - to 9 years and 4 months , Korkmaz Jamalov - to 7 years , Ali Aliyev - to 4 years , Valeh Abdullayev - to 8 years , and Safar Mammadov - to 3 years and 4 months of imprisonment.
The latter three were taken into custody in the courtroom. The defendants and their families perceived the sentence with curses.
The lawyers claimed the innocence of their clients and the intention to appeal the verdict.
Yalcin Imanov, the lawyer, said his client was being persecuted for freedom of expression. All the charges were fabricated, and the drugs were planted on Nijat Aliyev.
In the video footage, there is no evidence of a crime.
The counsel also noted that the young people were incriminated creation of an organized criminal group, but many of them did not know each other before their arrest. -16C06-
Politics
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On 23 November at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, eco-activists from different countries held a protest action against the failure of countries to agree on climate finance.
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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