Elchin Mammad denied parole again

Baku/13.07.22/Turan: Today the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has considered the appeal of human rights activist and journalist Elchin Mammad against the denial of release on parole for serving 1/3 of the sentence.

* Elchin Mammad, head of NGO "Legal Enlightenment of Sumgait Youth" and editor of the website "Yukselish Namine" was arrested in March 2020. On October 17 of the same year, the Sumgayit city court sentenced him to 4 years iof imprisonment, finding him guilty of "theft" and "illegal storage of ammunition and weapons.

International organizations including Amnesty International, PEN, FİACAT and others condemned Mammad's arrest. Local human rights activists recognized him as a political prisoner. 

Last October, the Sabunchi district court denied Mamed parole after serving a third of his sentence. Subsequently, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld that decision. The Supreme Court today also rejected Mamed's appeal.

Note that on 1 July the Sabunchinsky district court of Baku denied Mammad parole after serving half of his term.

On June 27, Mamed went on hunger strike on the eve of considering his appeal for an early release. However, on July 6, after a sharp deterioration of his condition, the activist, who suffers from a number of chronic diseases, was forced to end his hunger strike. -03b06-