Court of Appeal upholds verdict on PFPA activist

Baku/10.03.22/Turan: Today, the Baku Court of Appeal again upheld the verdict on the activist of the Popular Front Party (PFPA) Pasha Umudov.

He was detained on October 15, 2019 and charged under Article 234.2. Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (illegal possession, sale, manufacture of narcotic drugs).

In August 2020, Umudov was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Subsequently, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. However, in December last year, the Supreme Court returned the case to the appellate instance for reconsideration of the complaint.

At a meeting on March 10, Umudov again denied the charges against him and linked the arrest to his political views. The state prosecutor asked the court to leave the verdict unchanged, which was done by the judge.

“The Court of Appeal formally complied with the Supreme Court's order by questioning the witnesses. Despite the fact that the operative who detained Umudov was interrogated and we were able to prove that he was telling a lie, the court did not take this into account,” lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova said.

It should be noted that Umudov was the driver and bodyguard of the PFPA leader Ali Karimli. Human rights activists recognized Umudov as a political prisoner.  –06В-