Court Refused to Release Journalist from Probation

Baku / 05.18.19 / Turan: On November 5, the Nasimi District Court considered the appeal of Azan Orujov, co-founder of Kanal-13 Internet television, to release him from probation and remove his criminal record.

Judge Shalala Hasanova did not satisfy his appeal.

She considered that there were no grounds for the abolition of conditional punishment, since Orujov “had not improved”.

Orujov said he would appeal this decision because it is biased and unfair and aims to avenge Kanal-13 for objective activity.

He indicated that it was not the first time that Hasanov’s judge had taken a “biased decision” against him.

“It was she who first appointed me 30 days of administrative arrest on trumped-up charges. At the end of this period, she also chose a preventive measure in respect of me in the form of an arrest on a criminal charge,” Orujov said.

He noted that conditional punishment creates difficulties for him. In particular, the journalist is prohibited from leaving the country, and there are obligations to regularly meet the bailiffs.

Aziz Orujov was detained on May 2 on charges of not subordinating to the police and sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest.

At the end of his sentence, he was charged with illegal business and abuse of power, on the basis of which the journalist was sentenced to 6 years in prison. In April 2018, the Supreme Court commuted the sentence to three years in prison.

Azizov was recognized as a political prisoner by human rights activists. –06D—