Ikram Rahimov repeated in court that he was arrested by order of the assistant to the head of state

Baku/28.08.19/Turan: The trial in the case of the realliq.info website editor Ikram Rahimov continued at the Baku Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

Before the meeting, he told Turan that he had been on a hunger strike for 22 days and his condition was critical.

Rahimov said that he was constantly under the supervision of doctors and before the start of the meeting, he was given an injection so that he could be present at the process. Rahimov looked very exhausted.

At the beginning of the meeting, it was announced that the chair of the Court of Appeal did not satisfy Rahimov"s challenge to the composition of the court.

Lawyer Elchin Sadigov requested a second judicial investigation, because in the trial court the testimonies of all the victims were falsified. He also petitioned to change the measure of restraint, since Rahimov after 22 days of hunger strike was severely exhausted and could not restore his health under conditions of imprisonment.

When Rahimov himself tried to talk about his condition, the judge interrupted him saying: "Be quiet, I am a judge, not a doctor." When the court retired to the meeting, Rahimov made a statement. He repeated that he was arrested at the request of Presidential Aide Ali Hasanov.

After critical publications against Hasanov, the Press Council took an unprecedented step by contacting the Prosecutor General and the State Security Service with an appeal to punish him. He noted that he would continue the hunger strike until justice is restored or he will die.

After the meeting, the court announced that only one victim would be questioned, who, due to illness, did not testify in the trial court. Other applications were rejected and the next meeting was scheduled for September 18.

* Rahimov was detained on October 26, 2018, charged with extortion by threats and arrested.

On June 12, the court sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison. On August 7, a preliminary hearing was held in the Baku Court of Appeal in the case of Rahimov. The defense requested a second judicial investigation, new interrogations of witnesses and victims due to falsification of their testimonies in the trial court.

The lawyer also asked to appoint a re-examination of the audio recording of Rahimov's telephone conversations for the same reason. However, the applications were not granted. Rahimov went on a hunger strike in protest.

On August 21, he challenged the composition of the court and the hearings were adjourned to the 28 August. -06B-