Nijat Guliyev Case Received by European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has registered a complaint of the ex-Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of Azerbaijan Nijat Guliyev of violation of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. This is stated in the notification received by the lawyer Fuad Agayev, Guliyev’s representative in the European Court.

As Agayev told Turan IA, the international legal obligations of Azerbaijan, including the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights, the right to freedom, housing and a fair trial had been violated against Guliyev.

“Although the complaint was sent to the ECHR, Guliyev asked to consider and seek all legal means in order to cause the national court to make the final and legally valid decision on his case.

With our colleague Afghan Mammadov, we are working to supplement facts and evidence to the thorough study conducted at the time by our late colleague Elton Guliyev. In this case, we are talking about weapons, planted at Guliyev by the abolished MNS,” Agayev said.

Recall that Guliyev was arrested by MNS employees on August 7, 2013. On the night after the arrest a large armed group of MNS employees without a court verdict burst into Gu;iyev’s house in the village Novkhani, where Guliyev’s wife and two teenage children were. The lawyers for Guliyev led by the late Elton Guliyev proved fictional the charges against the minister. The criminal case against Guliyev was fabricated, and the "discovered" weapon was actually planted by MNS workers.

Elton Guliyev appealed to the plant manufacturing the weapon and has repeatedly traveled to Russia to investigate that. As a result, he found that the pistols "detected" at Guliyev were non-combat, but signaling. It is noteworthy that the pistols from the same batch were also "found" at other political prisoner, the Gununsesi.info website editor Parviz Hashimli.

The Absheron Court (judge - I. Rajabov) on the basis of fictitious accusations fabricated the "case". Guliyev was sentenced to 3 years in prison - the maximum sentence provided by Article 228.1 of the Criminal Code (illegal purchase, possession and carrying of firearms, etc.).

The Sumgait Appeal Court and the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Absheron Court. Nijat Guliyev was released from prison only after the 3-year period.

Human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner. The famous screenwriter Rustam Ibrahimbekov stated that Nijat Guliyev was arrested because of his friendship with him.

Nijat Guliyev headed the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations at Heydar Aliyev's government. Later he was adviser to the former President of Adzharia Aslan Abashidze.

Guliyev’s family members are descendants of the famous poet Ahmad Javad, the author of the poetry of the Azerbaijani anthem. -0-