On September 26 the Baku Appellate Court denied the appeal filed by journalist and human rights activist Parviz Hashimli against Sabail District Court’s decision sentencing him to pretrial detention. According to Hashimli’s lawyer Anar Qasimli, the journalist spoke in the hearing, calling his detention unlawful and a special operation plotted against him for some reason.
“Hashimli does not complain of detention conditions. Yesterday he told the Ombudsman’s representative that he is provided with only state newspapers and asked to create conditions for him to follow the periodical press. Parviz has not testified yet, but he denied the reports that he had been tortured” said Qasimli.
Qasimli added that the defense is going to file petition for the journalist’s release on bail or commutation of his sentence to house arrest. They are also going to appeal to the European Court against the detention decision.
The lawyer added that this time the journalist’s head was not covered when he was brought to the court.
Background: Parviz Hashimli was detained on September 17 by employees of the Ministry of National Security. On September 18 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).