Consideration of the appeal of Rufat Safarov

The Shirvan Court of Appeal (SCAs) today held a preparatory meeting on the complaint of Rufat Safarov, the former investigator of the Zardab Prosecutor Office, who was sentenced to 9 years in prison on charges of bribery. According to Turan's lawyer Behruz Bayramov, the defense made a number of applications: the complaint with partial judicial investigation "due to  gross procedural irregularities in the trial court."  In addition, a lawyer petitioned to change the measure of restraint and release Safarov for the period of the court from detention and allow him to sit next to a lawyer. Judge Aleskerov Novruzov partially granted the first application, and the other two left without consideration,  and scheduled a hearing on the merits on 1 December. According to the lawyer, the judge will  take decisions on other motions after December 1  after hearing testimony  of Safarov.  Safarov himself in his speech said that he was arrested by the order. Asking the question from the judge  on  rejecting  the court, Safarov said that there is no fair justice in Azerbaijan, and judgment in his case will execute the order of the authorities. He noted that  he is being prosecuted for criticizing the government, and the harsh sentence due to his application to participate in the rallies of the opposition on the eve of the referendum.

* Former investigator Rufat Safarov was convicted in September 2016, and before that he was fired from the prosecutor's office for "misconduct."  His father Eldar Sabiroglu is a former activist of the ruling party,  which has long been a member of parliament, and then the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense, after the dismissal began to criticize the head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev for mediocrity, and then began attacks on Rufat Safarov. -03В06-