The Baku Court of Appeal held a preliminary hearing today on the complaint of activist Jafar Mirzoyev, who was arrested after being expelled from Germany. The hearings on the merits are scheduled for March 16, his lawyer Nemat Kerimli told Turan.
On January 16, the Baku Serious Crimes Court sentenced Mirzoyev to 6 years in prison, finding him guilty of large-scale drug trafficking. However, according to the lawyer, the court of first instance did not conduct a comprehensive and objective investigation.
“There are enough contradictions in the criminal case. The most important thing is that the video of the seizure of drugs submitted to the court is incomplete. Part of the video has been deleted. Such a video cannot be considered reliable evidence. The criminal case should be terminated on exculpatory grounds,” the lawyer said.
* Jafar Mirzoyev is one of four activists arrested after being expelled from Germany in late 2021 – early 2022 on charges of drug trafficking. Another activist expelled from Germany was arrested on another charge. Human rights activists recognized all political prisoners.
The real reason for these arrests, according to human rights organizations, was the participation of political emigrants in protest actions in Europe demanding the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Mirzoyev was expelled from Germany on November 25, 2021 and arrested in Baku on January 27. He was charged under the Article 234.4.3 (large-scale drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code.