On June 12, the Supreme Court Collegium on administrative-economic cases heard a cassation appeal on violation of “Tolishy Sado” newspaper editor Hilal Mammadov’s presumption of innocence by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office. The hearing was chaired by the chairman of the Collegium, Kamaladdin Badalov.
Supreme Court partially granted the appeal, referring the case to the Baku Appeal Court for review.
Mammadov’s lawyer Khalid Bagirov assessed today’s decision of Supreme Court as an attempt to protract the appeal process in order to delay defense’s application to the European Court on Human Right.
Note that Hilal Mammadov’s appeal had earlier been dismissed by district and appellate courts.
Background: Tolishy Sado newspaper editor Hilal Mammadov was sentenced to 5 years in prison on 28 September 2013 by the order of Baku Grave Crimes Court, on charges of illegal possession of drugs in large quantities (Article 234.4.3/Criminal Code), treason (Article 274/Criminal Code), and incitement to national, racial, social and religious hatred and hostility (Article 283/Criminal Code).