The parents of former IRFS chairman and journalist Rasim Aliyev have filed an appeal against Baku Grave Crimes Court’s April 01 2016 verdict in their son’s murder case reported Fariz Namazli, the lawyer defending the late journalist. Rasim Aliyev died in hospital after a brutal attack in August last year,
According to Namazli, the appellate complaint seeks the annulment of the Baku Grave Crimes Court’s judgment of April 01 2016. “In the appeal we have noted that the motives of the crime were not fully investigated during the preliminary investigation or the trial. In both investigation and trial phases, we filed motions arguing that medical malpractice was a factor in Rasim Aliyev’s death. However, our motions were not granted and left unexamined. In our appeal, we have requested the return of the case to the preliminary hearing of the court of first instance. The Baku Grave Crimes Court’s verdict should be revoked.”.
On July 25, 2015, Rasim Aliyev received threatening messages on the social networking website Odnoklassniki. In a series of messages he received from an anonymous (fake) profile, there were images that he had shot while working for IRFS, with a note that he would “answer for these images”. The images capture police brutality.
On July 26, 2015, Rasim Aliyev appealed to Sabail District Police Office #8, informing them of the death threats. However, police failed to take action to protect his life.
On August 08, 2015, Rasim Aliyev was brutally assaulted by a group of 5-6 men, who took his phone and wallet. He later died in the city hospital #1. Aliyev was admitted to hospital at about 16.45 on August 8. Following an examination, doctors said that he had four broken ribs. He received intravenous pain medication and was placed in a ward, where medical staff failed to change his clothes. At about 1 am , Rasim’s family was informed that he had to undergo an operation. When his family arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later, the doctor told them that the operation was over and that Rasim was in intensive care. Shortly afterwards, they were told that Rasim had passed away. His body was sent to the Republican Hospital for expert examination.
Five men, including a relative of Javid Huseynov, were convicted in connection with the murder. On April 01, 2016, Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced Elshan Ismayilov to 13 years, Arif Aliyev to 12.5 years, Jamal Mammadov to 11 years, Kanan Madatov to 9 years, and Samir Mustafayev to 9 years in jail.