Today, a preliminary hearing was held in the Baku Court of Appeal on the case of the bodyguard on a voluntary basis of the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Ali Karimli – Niyamaddin Ahmadov.
Journalists were not allowed to the hearing; the members of the Ahmedov family were present at the trial.
After the meeting, lawyer Zibeyda Sadigova told Turan that Ahmedov spoke in court about violations of his rights and torture against him. At the same time, the public prosecutor asked the court to leave the verdict unchanged. The leader of the PFPA, Ali Karimli, was also present at the process.
“Niyameddin Ahmedov was my bodyguard on a voluntary basis. At the rally on October 19, 2019, he, along with Tofig Yagublu, tried to the end to be by my side. Therefore, he was subjected to the wrath of the authorities. Today, Niyameddin spoke about the horrific torture he was subjected to. He lost consciousness several times,” Karimli told reporters, calling Ahmedov a victim of repression. Hearings on the merits are scheduled for March 2.
Recall that Niyameddin Ahmedov is a bodyguard on a voluntary basis of the leader of the Popular Front Party Ali Karimli. He was detained on April 16, 2020 on charges of violating the quarantine regime and resisting the police and was arrested for 30 days. Later, he was charged with financing terrorism, citing the receipt of money from abroad as the reason.
While under arrest, Ahmedov was tortured in order to extract evidence against the party leader. However, he did not testify. On October 8, the court sentenced him to 13 years in prison.Human rights activists recognized Ahmedov as a political prisoner.