Verdict Appealed to Baku Court of Appeal

The lawyers of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova appealed against the sentence on her announced on September 1. Turan was told by the lawyer Fariz Namazly.

Along with the complaint they submitted the defense comments on the court records, which distorted the testimony of the witnesses. In particular, a number of protocols recorded not what the witnesses said in the court, but what they said at the preliminary investigation.

Even the words of Khadija Ismayilova herself were distorted and her expressions of political prisoners and the political nature of the trial were not recorded.

The defense will insist on a full re-trial investigation, because the trial court rejected almost all the applications and the sentence did not take into account the testimony of the witnesses, while some of them were not called to the trial.

Consideration of the appeal is expected in mid-October.

In addition, on September 29 the Baku Appeal Court will start a trial on Ismayilova’s complaint against the verdict on the case of a lawsuit of the former opposition activist Elman Turkoglu on libel, according to which the journalist was fined.

* On September 1 the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced the well-known investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova to 7.5 years in prison. The court found her guilty under articles 179 (misappropriation and embezzlement), 192 (illegal business), 213 (tax evasion) and 308 (abuse of power). At the same time Ismayilova was justified under article 125 (inciting to suicide). The prosecutor earlier asked the court to sentence Ismayilova to 9 years in prison. Local and international human rights organizations believe that the criminal charges are far-fetched and related to her journalistic investigations of corruption in the higher echelons of power. -06D--