Trial in the case of the Director of “Channel-11”

On September 11th, the Baku Serious Crimes Court heard the testimony of the victim, Leyla Almaszade, in the trial of Teymur Kerimov, the head of “Channel -11.” Almaszade stated that she is the director of a private kindergarten. She explained that a child at the institution became ill, and the child's mother, named Wafa, demanded compensation, believing that the child's illness was due to inadequate supervision by the caregivers.

The kindergarten director refused to pay, asserting that the child had contracted a common flu and that the staff were not at fault. The following day, the mother came with Kerimov, who started recording despite Almaszade’s objections. After the broadcast of the report, the mother again demanded compensation. Almaszade agreed to give 300 manats, but only on the condition that the recording would be deleted.

According to Almaszade, the recording was only removed from Facebook, while the report remained on Kerimov's YouTube channel, and he refused to delete it. Almaszade emphasized that she was not acquainted with Kerimov and did not give him any money, and her grievances are related to the child's mother. The next hearing is scheduled for September 27.

For reference, Kerimov was arrested in December 2023 on charges under Article 182.2.2 (repeated extortion through threats), 182.2.4 (extortion with the aim of acquiring property of significant value), and 182.2.1 (extortion by a group of people acting in collusion) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.