On November 19th Nasimi District Court chaired by judge Shahin Abdullayev extended the pretrial detention of azadxeber.org website chief editor Nijat Aliyev for three months, as reported by mediaforum.az.
Chief Editor’s lawyer Anar Gasimli quoted the judge as saying that the pretrial detention of Aliyev was extended because of the “extraordinary complicatedness of the case”. “Nijat Aliyev also attended the proceedings. The judge did not explain what he meant by “extraordinary complicatedness”” said the lawyer.
On May 20th at 7:20pm, www.azadxeber.az religious website editor-in-chief Nijat Aliyev was detained in front of Killer menswear shop near Memar Ajami metro station and taken to Yasamal District Police Office #27. He was charged under Article 234.1 of the Criminal Code (illlegal manufacturing, purchase, storage, transportation, transfer or selling of narcotics/psychotropic substances) and sentenced to 2 months of pre-trial detention. Aliyev’s pretrial detention was subsequently extended twice. Nijat Aliyev is currently being held in Kurdakhani investigative prison.