The Baku Court of Appeal did not satisfy the complaint against the sentence to Niyamaddin Ahmedov, the bodyguard on a voluntary basis of the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Ali Karimli.
The court upheld Ahmedov’s sentence of 13 years’ imprisonment on charges of terrorism.
The father of the oppositionist Arif Ahmadov expressed his indignation at the verdict.
He pointed out that his son was subjected to torture during the investigation, but nevertheless did not incriminate himself or the head of the party. As a result of the torture, he developed serious health problems. PFPA leader Karimli called the decision of the Court of Appeal “a political order.”
“Thus, the Azerbaijani authorities have shown that the whole world is changing, they have no desire to change,” Karimli said.
Ahmedov was detained on April 16, 2020 on charges of violating the quarantine regime and resisting the police and was arrested for 30 days. He was later charged with financing terrorism, citing the receipt of money from abroad as the reason.
While under arrest, Akhmedov was tortured in order to force him to testify against the leader of the party. However, he did not testify. On October 8, the court sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
Human rights activists recognize Ahmedov as a political prisoner.