On October 8, the judge of the Serious Crimes Court Siyavush Hajiyev sentenced a member of the Party of People’s Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA) Niyameddin Ahmedov to 13 years of imprisonment. He was found guilty of “financing terrorism.”
In his last speech, Ahmedov rejected all the accusations calling them unfounded. Relatives and friends of the
defendant were not allowed into the hall, as well as PPFA members.
Note that PPFA leader Ali Kerimli who was present in front of the courthouse, told reporters that he condemned the massacre over the innocent Party member. He expressed confidence that Ahmedov would be released and not spend 13 years behind bars. “With such repressions, the authorities mean to divert public attention from their own crimes. The latest evidence of this was the data on the property of the ruling family in the amount of $700 million illegally bought by them abroad,” Kerimli said.
As previously reported, six activists were detained by the police even before the sentencing. They were taken out of the city. The rest were pushed away from the courthouse.
It should be reminded that Niyameddin Ahmedov is the bodyguard of the PPFA leader Ali Kerimli. He was detained on April 16 this year on charges of violating the quarantine regime and resisting the police, and arrested for 30 days.
Later, he was absurdly accused of financing terrorism. As a reason for detention the authorities referred to receiving money from abroad.
While under arrest, Ahmedov was tortured in order to obtain evidence against the Party leader. Having failed to achieve this, the investigators did not give him the opportunity to communicate with family members by phone for 8 months after his arrest.
Human rights activists recognized Ahmedov as a political prisoner.
The defense will appeal against the decision of the court of first instance.