On November 28th Baku Appeal Court considered journalist Parviz Hashimli’s appeal against Sabail district court’s ruling issued on his lawsuit against the Ministry of National Security. Judge Ilgar Murguzov presided over the hearing. Parviz Hashimli was once again brought to the court with his head covered in a black bag. The hearing was held behind closed doors. The journalist’s colleagues and relatives were not allowed to enter the courtroom and had to wait outside the court building.
After the hearing, Hashimli’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov told IRFS that his client was ill-treated when he shouted “Democracy will triumph” as he went out of the car and was dragged to the courtroom.
“Parviz’s notes were forcibly seized, due to which he refused to make a speech and requested for postponement of the hearing. I also refused to speak, but they carried on the hearing and our appeal was rejected,” said Sadigov.
Background: Bizim Yol newspaper journalist and moderator.az editor-in-chief Parviz Hashimli was detained on September 17th by employees of the Ministry of National Security. On September 18th the journalist was handed down a two-month pretrial detention sentence by the Sabail District Court under two articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code: Article 206.3.2 (smuggling of firearms on preliminary arrangement by an organized group) and 228.2.1 (illegal obtaining, storing, carrying firearms and their spare parts on preliminary arrangement by an organized group). His detention term was extended for another three months on November 7.