A cassation appeal has been filed against Shirvan Appellate Court’s verdict of October 27, 2015 against Murad Adilov, brother of the exiled journalist Natig Adilov, an Azerbaijan Popular Front Party member and the presenter of the Azerbaijani Hour TV program. Murad Adilov was arrested on August 11, 2014, and has been charged with drug possession. On May 14, 2015, Lankaran Serious Crimes Court sentenced Murad Adilov to 6 years in jail. The appeal against this judgment was rejected.
According to Murad Adilov’s lawyer Yalchin Imanov, the cassation appeal requesting the acquittal of Murad Adilov was submitted to the Supreme Court on January 29.
An application has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the violation of Murad Adilov’s right under article 5 (right to liberty and security) of the European Convention.
Furthermore, upon his arrest on August 11, 2014, Murad Adilov was assaulted for an hour at the Sabirabad Regional Police Department in order to extract a confession. Despite the defense’s complaints, the prosecutor’s office refused to launch a criminal case into this fact. Azerbaijani courts have denied the appeals against the decision of the prosecutor’s office. The defense has also applied to the European Court of Human Rights in this regard. The European Court has accepted both applications.