On December 17th, lawyer Elchin Sadiqov met with imprisoned regional correspondent of Xural newspaper Aydin Janiyev, Sadigov reported to IRFS today.
Elchin Sadigov said that in their meeting in the prison at Lankaran Regional Police Office last week, he and Janiyev discussed the steps that will be taken to defend his rights.
“We have not yet received a copy of the first court verdict. As regards the indictment, it was presented to Janiyev after the verdict was in. I consider this a legal violation. Lankaran Regional Police Office received another lawsuit against the journalist. Gani Akhundzade, envoy of the head of the Caucasus Muslim Office for Lankaran, is suing the journalist for an article published in Xural, which he claims insulted him. Aydin Janiyev’s article has been sent to the Institute of Linguistics at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences for linguistic examination. The process will continue after conclusion of the examination.
Janiyev was detained on September 8th following a complaint from religious followers in Sarpakaran village of Lenkaran. The journalist was charged with breaking the windows of the village mosque and insulting those working there. He was sentenced to 12 days of administrative detention upon which a criminal case was launched under Article 221.2.2 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism – resisting a state employee preventing violation of social order). Lenkeran Regional Court sentenced him to 2 months of pre-trial detention on September 20th and on November 21st the journalist was sentenced to 3 years in jail.
“We have not yet received a copy of the first court verdict. As regards the indictment, it was presented to Janiyev after the verdict was in. I consider this a legal violation. Lankaran Regional Police Office received another lawsuit against the journalist. Gani Akhundzade, envoy of the head of the Caucasus Muslim Office for Lankaran, is suing the journalist for an article published in Xural, which he claims insulted him. Aydin Janiyev’s article has been sent to the Institute of Linguistics at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences for linguistic examination. The process will continue after conclusion of the examination.
Janiyev was detained on September 8th following a complaint from religious followers in Sarpakaran village of Lenkaran. The journalist was charged with breaking the windows of the village mosque and insulting those working there. He was sentenced to 12 days of administrative detention upon which a criminal case was launched under Article 221.2.2 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism – resisting a state employee preventing violation of social order). Lenkeran Regional Court sentenced him to 2 months of pre-trial detention on September 20th and on November 21st the journalist was sentenced to 3 years in jail.