Azerbaijani Appeals Court Leaves Journalist Mukhtarli in Detention
The Shaky Appeals Court upheld the verdict of the first instance court and left Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli in prison for six years.
Mukhtarli, who was allegedly abducted from Georgia and taken to Baku in May 2017, is accused of “illegal border crossing, smuggling, and resistance or application of violence concerning a representative of authority.”
Before the trial, Mukhtarli’s lawyer’s license was also suspended.
"This case is politically motivated. The proof is that one day before the Court trial, my husband’s lawyer’s license was suspended," says Leila Mustafayeva, wife of Afgan Mukhtarli.
Archil Chopikashvili, Mukhtarli’s lawyer in Georgia, stressed that the Government of Azerbaijan wants to be rid of the opposition-minded lawyer and journalist.
“We will mention this fact in our appeal to Strasburg Court of Human Rights,” the lawyer stated.
Mukhtarli is a political migrant who left Azerbaijan around four years ago. In Tbilisi, he held protests in front of the Azerbaijan Embassy and wrote about the persecution of Azerbaijani activists in Georgia. He disappeared on May 29, 2017, and the following day was “found” in the Baku police department.
In January, 2018, Mukhtarli was sentenced to six years in prison by the Balakan District Court in Azerbaijan. The defense side appealed the decision but on April 24, the Appeals Court upheld the verdict of the Balakan District Court.
In January Mukhtarli told Georgia’s Rustavi 2 TV that the Georgian side was involved in his kidnapping, including Georgia’s Prime Minister.
He accuses both the Georgian and Azerbaijani sides of cooperation against him, and claims he is a political prisoner.
The Journalist says the reason for his abduction and transfer is that he, like many other Azeri journalists, is in opposition to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Alyiev.
By Thea Morrison
Photo source: occrp.org
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