PFPA activist is sentenced to 7.5 years

  Trial  in the case of Asif Yusifli, a member of the Majlis Popular Front Party, ended in the Baku Serious Crime Court.

Yusifli was arrested November 25, 2014 on charges of fraud (Article 178) and forgery (Article 320.) The victim in this case Farida Zulfugarova handed Yusifli 6500 manat for the employee of the Ministry of Education Rafig Huseynov. The latter was to arrange for that  bribe  the study of Zulfugarov’s sun in Ukraine. However, the deal failed, and Huseynov did not return the money to the woman. During the trial, he admitted that he got the money, and it was not the fault of  Yusifli. Zulfugarova also rejected complaints  as it was paid.

However,  on 30 July  the court convicted Yusifli  of fraud and forgery, and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. Another defendant Rafig Huseynov was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison.

Yusifli in his concluding word said that the reason for his arrest  is his political activities, consistent struggle for democracy, active protection of the rights of invalids of  the Karabakh war, blogging "End Oppression", statements in Facebook and Twiiter.

He said he was proud that he was in  jail  together with other prominent representatives of the democratic community of Azerbaijan - Anar Mammadli, Seymour Ghazi, Intigam Aliyev, Leyla Yunus and others. Yusifli’s speech was greeted with applause.

The lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev called the court's decision unfair, because the court did not take into account that Yusifli is the first group disabled of the Karabakh war, and has  two small children. Protection would appeal and reach the ECHR. The leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli, said  that Yusifli showed himself in court as a real fighter  against authoritarian  regime. -03B-