The lawyer asks the court to acquit Polad Aslanov

Baku / 06.11.20 / Turan: At the trial in the case of the founder and editor of the website xeberman.com Polad Aslanov, lawyer Elchin Sadigov made a closing speech at the Baku Grave Crimes Court.

He asked the court to acquit the journalist.

“Despite Polad Aslanov is accused of high treason, in fact he was arrested because of his journalistic activities. This is evident from the content of the charge. It notes that Polad Aslanov with his publications “tried to cast a shadow” on the activities of law enforcement agencies. This gives grounds to assert that he is being persecuted precisely for his media work,” the lawyer said.

According to him, he gave his first "confession" after his arrest under threats of arrest of his wife.

Aslanov himself will make his final speech at the court session on November 16.

Aslanov was arrested on June 12, 2019 and charged under Article 274 of the Criminal Code (treason). The investigation claims that Aslanov recruited fellow journalists and persuaded them to cooperate with the Iranian secret services.

Aslanov denied all charges, claiming that he was being prosecuted for exposing the facts of corruption on the part of employees of the State Security Service of the country.

On October 22, the prosecutor proposed to sentence Aslanov to 17 years in prison.

The international organizations "Committee to Protect Journalists" and "Reporters without Borders" called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release Aslanov and stop his criminal prosecution. -06B-