On 3 December, during a hearing conducted in the Nakhchivan city Court, under the chairmanship of judge Hijran Muradov, Babak region Gahab village resident, 58 year old Novruz Aliyev was found guilty under article 147.2 (slander with accusing someone of grave or especially grave crime) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Criminal Code and has been imprisoned for 1.5 years.
N.Aliyev has been subjected to this punishment on the special lawsuit of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Internal Minister Ahmad Ahmadov against him.
According to Aliyev’s relatives, N.Aliyev has been receiving pension for ten years due to his diabetes. His pension was discontinued two years ago. He wrote a complaint letter to the president of Azerbaijan Republic and other relevant organs about Azer Alakbarov, former Minister of Social Defense of the Population. A few days before the presidential elections on 15 October 2008 Autonomous Republic Internal Minister Ahmad Ahmadov called N.Aliyev and demanded that he take the complaint back. N.Aliyev, who refused to take his complaint back, was held in the Internal Ministry for five days. After he was freed from unfounded arrest Aliyev wrote complaint letter to President Ilham Aliyev and to other instances against Internal Minister A.Ahmadov. On 3 December he was called and invited to court. Seeing that N.Aliyev did not return home in the evening his relatives were concerned, but found out in the morning that he was already arrested.
Although 26 days have passed since N.Aliyev’s arrest, his relatives have not been able to visit him yet. Aliyevs family, who cannot afford to hire a lawyer for the prisoner, has not been able to file an appeal complaint.
“Novruz Aliyev wrote complaint letters to different addresses about Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Internal Minister,” Nakhchivan City Court Chairman Huseyn Mammadov told this to the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety. “He accused the Minister under 16 articles of the Criminal Code; nine of the accusations are grave crimes and one is especially grave crime. Novruz Aliyev was found guilty under article 147.2 and was imprisoned for 1.5 years for slandering and libeling a high-ranking official. No one has ever hindered him from filing an appeal.”
According to Aliyev’s relatives, N.Aliyev has been receiving pension for ten years due to his diabetes. His pension was discontinued two years ago. He wrote a complaint letter to the president of Azerbaijan Republic and other relevant organs about Azer Alakbarov, former Minister of Social Defense of the Population. A few days before the presidential elections on 15 October 2008 Autonomous Republic Internal Minister Ahmad Ahmadov called N.Aliyev and demanded that he take the complaint back. N.Aliyev, who refused to take his complaint back, was held in the Internal Ministry for five days. After he was freed from unfounded arrest Aliyev wrote complaint letter to President Ilham Aliyev and to other instances against Internal Minister A.Ahmadov. On 3 December he was called and invited to court. Seeing that N.Aliyev did not return home in the evening his relatives were concerned, but found out in the morning that he was already arrested.
Although 26 days have passed since N.Aliyev’s arrest, his relatives have not been able to visit him yet. Aliyevs family, who cannot afford to hire a lawyer for the prisoner, has not been able to file an appeal complaint.
“Novruz Aliyev wrote complaint letters to different addresses about Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Internal Minister,” Nakhchivan City Court Chairman Huseyn Mammadov told this to the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety. “He accused the Minister under 16 articles of the Criminal Code; nine of the accusations are grave crimes and one is especially grave crime. Novruz Aliyev was found guilty under article 147.2 and was imprisoned for 1.5 years for slandering and libeling a high-ranking official. No one has ever hindered him from filing an appeal.”