The Supreme Court has left the opposition leader in custody

On April 18, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan rejected the appeal of activist Punhan Kerimli, who was arrested after deportation from Germany. Thus, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence of imprisonment of Kerimli for a period of 5 years in the drug case.

In November 2021, Kerimli was deported from Germany and two months later arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of illegal drug trafficking. The Baku Serious Crimes Court sentenced him to 6 years in prison.  Later, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence by one year.

On May 16, the Supreme Court partially satisfied Kerimli's cassation appeal, returning the case for reconsideration to the Court of Appeal. However, on August 29, 2023, the Baku Court of Appeal dismissed only one of the charges against Kerimli, leaving the sentence unchanged.

Today, the Supreme Court approved this verdict. The defense intends to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Kerimli is recognized by human rights activists as a political prisoner.