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.
Politics
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On the occasion of the International Workers' Day on May 1 in Baku, a poster was hung on the pedestrian bridge in the Central Park: "Your wealth is stolen from the workers."
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On May 1, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Speaker of the Parliament of the Iraqi Republic Mohsin Ali Akbar Al-Mandalawi. During the meeting, issues related to the development of bilateral relations and inter-parliamentary ties were discussed. Ilham Aliyev received the Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament.
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The executive power of Baku again refused the appeal of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) on holding a protest action on May 5, the head of the NCDF Jamil Hasanli. He regarded the decision of the city administration as another step in restricting freedom of assembly.
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International structures continue to call on official Baku to release the well-known human rights defender and public activist Anar Mammadli. "We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Anar Mammadli," the statement of the Norwegian Human Rights House. The organization demands that the Azerbaijani authorities: drop all charges against him, respect international obligations, comply with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on the Mammadli group, stop the persecution of independent voices in the country and release all political prisoners, respect the rights of independent civil society and the media.
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