The Baku Court of Appeal has left activist Mohyaddin Orujov in custody despite his deteriorating health.
In October 2023, Mohyaddin Orujov was arrested for 30 days on charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying security forces. The police explained their interest in the activist by his comment on a social network criticizing the authorities, the brother of the arrested man said. On December 15, 2023, Orujov, who accused police of violence after administrative arrest, was arrested in a criminal case on drug trafficking. Orujov’s mother reported that his health had worsened in the pre-trial detention center, but he was denied medical care.
Today, a preliminary hearing on the appeal against Orujov’s sentence was held in the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Judge Habil Mammadov, said lawyer Nazim Musayev. According to him, the defense petitioned for a retrial.
“The court of first instance did not conduct a comprehensive and objective investigation, almost all of the defense’s petitions were dismissed, and not all of the witnesses were questioned. Therefore, we petitioned for a retrial. However, the court left the petition without consideration at this stage. It was stated that the petition would be considered at the stage of considering the complaint on the merits,” Musayev explained.
The defense also drew the court’s attention to the deterioration of Orujev’s health, including an exacerbation of kidney disease, and asked to change the preventive measure to house arrest. However, this petition was also rejected. The hearing on the merits is scheduled for May 1.
“We will seek to overturn the sentence on acquittal grounds or at least mitigate the punishment and replace the real term with a suspended sentence, taking into account humanitarian circumstances,” the lawyer noted.
He emphasized the lack of proper medical care for the activist. “He is being examined on the spot, but there is no treatment, because the prescribed medications are painkillers. For treatment, Orujev needs to be transferred to a hospital, but he is being denied this,” the defense attorney summarized. An employee of the Baku Court of Appeal confirmed that a hearing on the case was being held. Representatives of the prosecution were unavailable for comment.