Court of Appeal Releases Rahim Gaziyev

Baku / 29.12.17 / Turan: On December 29, the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) softened the administrative punishment to former Defense Minister, 74-year-old Rahim Gaziyev and released him from custody.

Thus, BCA partially changed the decision of the Narimanov District Court to arrest Gaziyev for 10 days on charges of petty hooliganism. The decision to arrest him was replaced with a fine of 100 manats. At the same time, each of the five days spent in custody by Gaziyev, who was detained on December 25, was interpreted as a 20-manat fine and Gaziyev was eventually released both from custody and from fine payment. Turan was informed about this by his lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova.

Those who came to the trial (Gaziyev's relatives and activists) were not allowed to enter the hall. According to the lawyer, the defense insisted on the release of Gaziyev on justifiable grounds. Gaziyev rejected the imputed administrative offense. On the other hand, the lawyer said that, according to the law, men over 65 years old cannot be subject to administrative arrest.

Gaziyev will seek the restoration of his rights in the European Court of Human Rights.

Rahim Gaziyev was Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan from March 1992 to February 1993. Later he was arrested on charges of treason and sentenced to death, which was later replaced by life imprisonment, and then by 15 years' imprisonment.

In 2005 he was pardoned. -06B-