On September 26, Baku Court of Appeal considered a complaint filed by the arrested human rights defender Rasul Jafarov regarding the arrest imposed on his bank accounts.
The hearing took place with the participation of the rights defender and his representative Gunay Ismayilova.
Addressing the court, Rasul Jafarov said that Sabail district court did not have sufficient grounds to impose arrest on his bank accounts, and therefore requested annulment of the unlawful decision.
The court did not grant the complaint and upheld Sabail district court’s decision.
Note that on July 7, Sabail district court issued a decision to arrest Rasul Jafarov’s account in the Bank Respublika Open JSC based on the request of the deputy prosecutor general Rustam Usubov and the petition of the investigator of the Department for Investigation of Serious Crimes, in connection with a criminal case opened against a number of local and international NGOs.
Rasul Jafarov was arrested on August 2, on charges of illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion and abuse of office. He was placed in pretrial detention for a period of 3 months.
Amnesty International has recognized Jafarov as a “prisoner of conscience.”