At the hearing, lawyer Elchin Sadigov requested the court to acquit the journalist.
However, the court only changed the original charge against him and reduced his jail term to one and a half years.
Afgan Sadigov was arrested on charges brought under Article 127.2.3 (deliberate infliction of less serious harm to health, committed with hooliganistic intentions or in a dangerous way) of the Criminal Code.
The Supreme Court re-qualified the charge to Article 127.1 (deliberate infliction of less serious harm to health, not dangerous to life).
Azel.tv website founder and editor Afgan Sadigov was detained on 22 November 2016. He was charged with beating a woman in the building of local executive authorities. Sadigov maintains that this was a provocation against him.
On 12 January 2017, Jalilabad Regional Court sentenced him under the aforementioned Article of the Criminal Code.