Polad Aslanov's wife asks the head of state to restore justice

Baku/28.12.20/Turan: In anticipation of the consideration of the appeal of the head of the website xeberman.com Polada Aslanova, his wife turned to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Gulmira Aslanova notes that she has repeatedly appealed to the President and First Vice President of Azerbaijan in connection with the “unjustified, illegal persecution of her husband,” but there was no reaction.

International human rights and journalistic organizations, the Bureau of Human Rights and Labor of the US State Department also appealed to the head of state regarding the case of her husband. 

Aslanova claims that her husband was convicted without reliable evidence of his guilt and doubts that the appellate court will overturn the verdict of the Baku Serious Crimes Court. At the same time, G. Aslanova is convinced that in the future the European Court of Human Rights will restore justice. However, the President of Azerbaijan can stand firm and put an end to this injustice.

• On November 16, the founder of the site xeberman.com, Polad Aslanov, was found guilty by the court of espionage for Iran and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The state prosecutor asked to be sentenced to 17 years.

Aslanov was arrested on June 12, 2019 and charged under the Article 274 of the Criminal Code (treason). The investigation claims that Aslanov recruited fellow journalists and persuaded them to cooperate with the Iranian special services. Aslanov denied all charges, claiming that he was being prosecuted for exposing the facts of corruption on the part of intelligence officers. International organizations condemned his arrest, calling for the release of Aslanov. -06B-