On November 18, Baku Grave Crimes Court, chaired by judge Alisultan Osmanov, held a closed hearing on the case of Zerkalo newspaper correspondent Rauf Mirgadirov. Members of the public were denied entry into the courthouse.
During a break in the hearing, Mirgadirov’s lawyer Fuad Agayev stated that all of the motions that he had filed during the hearing had been rejected, following which the presiding judge announced the beginning of the judicial investigation.
Fuad Agayev said that after the break, Zerkalo Editor-in-Chief Elchin Shikhli and military expert Azad Isazade would testify as witnesses. The lawyer said that he could not provide information on the hearing or the witness testimonies, as they have been classified as they state secrets, and he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Agayev added that the charges brought against Rauf Mirgadirov are unfounded.
The next hearing on the case is scheduled for November 25, 10.30am.