Supreme Court Reduced Sentence on Bayramly by Two Months

Baku / 14.11.18 / Turan: The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan reduced the three-year prison term of deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Gezal Bayramly by two months.

The court re-qualified the charge from article 206.1 (smuggling) to 29.206.1 (preparation for smuggling) of the Criminal Code.

Advocate Elchin Sadigov, speaking in court, noted that Bayramly is the only person in Azerbaijan who is held in prison under Article 206.1. He noted that Bayramly repeatedly stated that she was arrested on a false accusation and the case is political.

"There are letters from the State Security and Foreign Intelligence Services in the case file, from which it is clear that Gezal Bayramly was even followed in Georgia," said the lawyer.

Bayramly is accused of trying to transport an undeclared 12 thousand dollars across the border. However, she was detained before passing through the Synyg Korpu customs post.

"We petitioned before the investigation about the request for video from the customs point. However, a month later we received an answer that the records were not saved. In court, we put forward 14 petitions, and none of them was granted," said the lawyer.

However, the prosecutor appealed against the satisfaction of the cassation appeal with a request to acquit Bayramly.

After the meeting, Judge Hafiz Nasibov announced that the court had re-qualified the charge and reduced the sentence by 2 months.

After the meeting, PFPA activists held a flash mob in front of the Supreme Court demanding the freedom of Bayramly. PFPA leader Ali Kerimli condemned the Azerbaijani authorities for criminal prosecution of a political opponent.

Bayramli was detained on May 25, 2017 while returning from Georgia and sentenced to 3 years. She said that law enforcement officers themselves had placed 12 thousand dollars in her luggage. -16D-