The case of Afgan Mukhtarly transferred to the Prosecutor General�s Office (UPDATED)

Baku / 06.06.17 / Turan: Lawsuit against journalist Afgan Mukhtarly was transferred from the State Frontier Service to the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes of the Prosecutor General's Office, said the lawyer Osman Kyazimov. He noted that today the consideration of the appeal against the arrest of the journalist in the Baku Court of Appeal was formal.

The court decision was expressed by one proposal - to refuse. According to the lawyer, the defense petitioned to change the measure of restraint for house arrest and requested a protocol of confrontation Mukhtarly with the "injured" border guard. "If the protocol had been submitted to the court, it would have turned out that no injuries had been caused to the border guard," said the lawyer.

The defense also petitioned to request records from the camera at the border control post in Balaken district, which would inevitably confirm the crossing of the journalist through this transfer, rather than detaining him in the wrong place. However, the judge rejected all motions.-06C-

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2017 June 06 (Tuesday) 13:25:08

Court of Appeal Leaves Afgan Mukhtarly in Custody

Baku / 06.06.17 / Turan: The Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Ilgar Murguzov, dismissed the complaint about the arrest of the journalist Afgan Mukhtarly.

Mukhtarly disappeared in Georgia on May 29, and the next day in Azerbaijan he was charged with criminal offenses in border violation, smuggling and violence against the border guard and arrested.

Mukhtarly denied the charges and said he was kidnapped in Georgia and handed over to the Azerbaijani authorities.

Colleagues of Mukhtarly are convinced that he is being persecuted for political reasons for investigating corruption in the highest echelons of power, as well as facts of human rights violations.

The US and the EU called for the investigation of reports of abduction and demanded the release of Mukhtarli. -16d-