Political parties appealed to the president regarding T. Yagublu

To the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan,

Mr. Ilham Aliyev

Mr. President,

We, the leaders of the political parties and movements and political scientists, who signed this appeal, say that Tofig Yagublu, a Karabakh war veteran and member of the Musavat Party, who was detained for a "dispute" during a car accident on March 22, 2020, and remanded in custody for three months, was convicted by the Baku City Nizami District Court on September 3, 2020, and sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison on charges under Article 221 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Due to the fact that the trial was held behind closed doors, based on the information provided by the advocates, we can say that neither their nor Tofig Yagublu's requested solicits were considered during the trial; moreover, the investigating party did not provide the court with solid evidence. Nevertheless, the court sentenced Tofig Yagublu to 4 years and 3 months in prison based on the testimony of false witnesses. Therefore, we, the political parties and movements, who signed this appeal, do not consider the verdict to be fair and declare that it was rendered without justification and illegally.

Tofig Yagublu, who is protesting against the unfair trial, is on a hunger strike to his death in prison demanding the annulment of his sentence. The strike has been going on for more than 10 days, and during this time, he has not received any food. According to family members, advocates, and doctors, Tofig Yagublu has had serious health problems, including exhaustion, weight loss, and general weakness. As all this continues, the dangers and risks to Tofig Yagublu's life increase. The public watching this with excitement, as well as members of political parties and movements led by us, political scientists, consider it necessary to release Tofig Yagublu through your intervention in order to resolve his case fairly.

Tofig Yagublu fought on the front lines in the battles for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and showed courage in Karabakh in 1992-93. He has distinguished with      his devotion to statehood and national interests throughout his life.

Mr. President,

We believe that there is a growing need to reform the judiciary to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens. We take this opportunity to declare that we, as political parties, are ready to contribute to the reform process in this area.

We call on you to take the case of Tofig Yagublu under your special control, to hold an appeal hearing on his case as soon as possible, and to have the decision on the deprivation of his liberty changed. Thank you in advance since we are confident that you will pay attention to our call.

Sincerely,

Azerbaijan Justice Party, Ilyas Ismayilov

Azerbaijan Democracy and Welfare Movement, Gubad Ibadoghlu,

People's Party of Azerbaijan, Panah Huseyn

Azerbaijan Rise Party, Anar Asadli

Law and Justice Party, Ali Insanov

Nationalist Democrats Party, Ilyas Abdullayev

Umid (Hope) Party, Igbal Aghazadeh

National Unity Party of Azerbaijan, Hajibaba Azimov

Citizen and Development Party, Ali Aliyev

Political scientist, Arastun Orujlu

Political scientist, Hikmat Hajizadeh