The Court of Appeal has left Nazim Beidemirli in custody

Baku/10.07.23/Turan: Today, the Baku Court of Appeal considered the appeal of the former deputy of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, public figure and entrepreneur Nazim Beidemirli for the election of a preventive measure in the form of arrest against him. According to lawyer Agil Laidj, the Court of Appeal did not satisfy Beidemirli's complaint, leaving the decision of the court of first instance in force.

Beidemirli did not commit the crime imputed to him, the lawyer said. "That's not the real reason for his arrest. There are no grounds for choosing a preventive measure against him. There is no need to isolate him from society. We regret that the Court of Appeal left Beidemirli in custody," the lawyer said.  Beidemirli himself delivered a number of messages in court.

"He was told that his public speeches offended someone; he is ready to apologize, even apologize in writing. If the reason for my arrest is related to my share (meaning a share in a certain enterprise), then I am ready to donate this share to another person," the lawyer said. He said that the defense would then file a motion to transfer Beidemirli to house arrest.

Beidemirli was detained on July 4 by the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Charges were brought against him under Article 182.2.4 (Extortion by threats to seize property in a significant amount) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, which provides for a penalty of imprisonment from 5 to 10 years. The next day, the court chose a preventive measure against him in the form of arrest for a period of 4 months. Beidemirli rejected the accusation, called it fabricated and devoid of legal grounds. According to him, the real reason for his arrest is his statements in connection with the protests of the residents of Seudlu Gadabey district against environmental pollution by a nearby gold ore processing plant.

Human rights activists and civil society activists also considered Beidemirli's arrest to be politically motivated and aimed at punishing him for supporting the demands of the residents of the village of Seyudlu. ---1606В---