On November 30, the head of the Legal Education Society Intigam Aliyev marked his 53rd birthday in jail. It is the second year in a row that the human rights defender has spent his birthday behind bars. Since his arrest, Intigam Aliyev has been honored with various international awards. International organizations have repeatedly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release the human rights defender.
Background: Intigam Aliyev was arrested on 8 August 2014. He was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison by Baku Grave Crimes Court, on charges of tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, misappropriation, service forgery and abuse of official powers. The human rights defender rejects all the charges as politically motivated. Amnesty International has recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.