On May 15, Baku Court on Grave Crimes chaired by judge Novruz Karimov announced the verdict on the case of journalist Parviz Hashimli and Tavakkul Gurbanov.
By the judge’s decision, Hashimli was sentenced to 8 and Gurbanov to 8 and a half years in prison.
It should be noted that the public prosecutor had requested 9 year jail sentence for both of the accused on May 12.
Background: Bizim Yol newspaper journalist and moderator.az editor-in-chief Parviz Hashimli was detained on September 17, by employees of the Ministry of National Security. Main Investigation Department of MNS launched a case against him with three articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code: Article 206.3.2 (smuggling of firearms on preliminary arrangement by an organized group), 228.2.1 (illegal purchase, transfer, selling, storage, transportation and carrying of firearms, their accessories, supplies and explosives by an organized group) and 228.2.2 (the same acts committed repeatedly).