On 25 November 2016, Sumgayit City Court handed down one-year jail sentences for realliq.info online news site Editor-in-Chief Ikram Rahimov, and a private citizen called Rahman Salman oglu Novruzov. Novruzov had turned to the journalist with his story after the...

Summary: Hearing 40   Lawyer Yalchin Imanov re-filed his petition from the previous hearing, asking the court to call additional witnesses: investigator Ismayil Aliyev who had interrogated witness Yusif Farajov, investigator Fikrat Guliyev who had interrogated Allahverdi Hadiyev, and Tarkhan Ahmadov,...

At its plenary meeting, the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) approved amendments to Articles 148 and 323 of the Criminal Code, which significantly restrict freedom of expression online. The amendments were submitted to Parliament by Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov on 15...

MP Elmira Akhundova expressed her concern over the increasing number of domestic violence cases in the country, and called for the restoration of capital punishment during Parliament’s plenary meeting on 29 November. “There is a death penalty for people committing grave...

Summary: Hearing 39   Lawyer Yalchin Imanov presented his warrant of attorney and said he would be representing one more defendant, Zakir Mustafayev; Lawyer Nemat Karimli said signing a document on behalf of an illiterate witness was an obvious case of...

On November 28, Baku Administrative Economic Court #1, chaired by Judge Sharafat Mammadova, held a hearing on Turan Information Agency’s lawsuit against Azersu OJSC. The lawsuit has been filed over Azersu OJSC’s failure to respond to Turan agency’s inquiry dated 30...

Yeni Musavat newspaper columnist Zamin Haji has been summoned to Baku City Main Police Department (BCMPD). The journalist was accompanied to BCMPD by attorney Elchin Sadigov and Yeni Musavat lawyer Vagif Huseyn. According to Zamin Haji, he was received by Nazim...

Afgan Sadigov, founder and editor-in-chief of AzelTV news website, has been arrested for reporting on injustices taking place in Jalilabad such as embezzlement of social welfare payments, and wrongdoings in the regional hospital, his wife told IRFS. On 22 November, the...

Islam Sahiboglu, a member of the Youth Committee of the opposition party Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), was detained and taken to the 29th police station of Yasamal District, reported APFP deputy chairperson Gozal Bayramli. According to Bayramli, Islam Sahiboglu was...

Complaints submitted by political prisoners to the European Court of Human Rights are not reaching their destination, lawyers of some of the prisoners reported. In the most recent example, Javad Javadov, the lawyer for the Muslim Union Movement Chairman, theologian Taleh...