Today, 29 October, in the Supreme Court, the case of “Mukhalifat" Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Rovshan Kabirli and the newspaper's employee Yashar Agazade was considered on the basis of a decision adopted by the European Court of Human Rights. The Institute for Reporters` Freedom and Safety was told this by Yashar Agazade. Y.Agazade said that a decision was adopted to annul the decision to imprison them for 5 months, and to send the case to the Appellate Court.
On 20 May 2003, during a hearing held in the Yasamal District Court, Rovshan Kabirli and Yashar Agazade were found guilty under article 147.1 (libel) and 148 (insult), and they were both sentenced to 5 months imprisonment. This lawsuit stemmed from an article entitled “Wheat mafia in Azerbaijan” published in “Mukhalifat” newspaper. The journalists had been sued by parliamentarian Jalal Aliyev. Both Kabirli and Agazade were freed through the amnesty act issued by the Milli Mejlis.